Since 2020, dozens of states have moved to restrict voting access. Here's what's happening, why it matters, and what you can do about it.
Since 2020, at least 29 states have passed legislation tightening voting rules — affecting acceptable IDs, mail ballot procedures, early voting windows, and who may help voters return ballots. The pace has not slowed. In 2025 alone, 16 states enacted 31 new restrictive voting laws, and legislatures in 47 states considered nearly 500 such bills.
This isn't partisan noise — it's documented policy change with real consequences for real people.
"The practical effect of many of these laws is to make voting harder for people who already face the most obstacles — the elderly, the poor, voters of color, and rural communities."
Strict photo ID requirements have expanded across multiple states. In some cases voters must show government-issued photo ID that millions of eligible citizens simply don't possess — particularly the elderly, low-income voters, and people of color who are statistically less likely to hold a current driver's license or passport.
Mail and absentee ballot access has been restricted in several states that previously made it broadly available, including rules requiring notarization, witnesses, and stricter signature matching — processes that can result in valid ballots being rejected over minor technical errors.
Voter roll purges — the process of removing inactive voters from registration lists — have been accelerated in some states. Voters who've moved, share a name with others, or haven't voted recently are being removed with little notice, and sometimes incorrectly. Many don't find out until election day.
Courts have been an active counterweight. Civil rights organizations including the ACLU are challenging restrictions state by state. Some states and local governments are actively working to expand access — automatic voter registration, extended hours, drop boxes — even as others restrict it. The fight is uneven. But it is real, and it is ongoing.
Following the 2020 election, at least 29 states passed legislation tightening voting rules — affecting acceptable IDs, mail ballot procedures, early voting windows, and who may assist voters in returning ballots.
Allies of President Trump pushed the SAVE Act — which would require documentary proof of citizenship such as a passport or birth certificate to register to vote, often in person. Researchers estimated this could prevent tens of millions of eligible voters from registering.
In 2025 alone, 16 states enacted 31 restrictive voting laws. Legislatures in 47 states considered nearly 500 such bills. The pace has accelerated, not slowed.
A federal court permanently blocked part of a Trump executive order seeking to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form — ruling the president cannot unilaterally change election rules in ways that would prevent eligible voters from participating.
At the national level, the most sweeping proposal has been to require every voter to produce documentary proof of citizenship — a passport, birth certificate, or similar document — in person, before they can register to vote.
The problem: tens of millions of eligible American citizens don't have these documents readily accessible, or live in areas where obtaining them requires significant travel and cost. The proposal's supporters frame it as election security. Critics — including election law researchers across the political spectrum — say the practical effect would be mass disenfranchisement of citizens who have every legal right to vote.
When a version of this was attempted via executive order, a federal court stopped it. The legislative push continues.
Voter purges are real. Even if you've voted before, verify your registration is current and your address is correct before every election — especially after moving.
Check your status at vote.org →ID requirements vary by state and have been changing. Look up your state's current rules before election day — not the morning of.
Look up your state at ncsl.org →Most people who are disenfranchised don't know it until they show up. Share this page. Help someone check their registration. That's how civic infrastructure actually works.