In the ongoing White House battle, the outcome is expected to be determined in seven fiercely contested swing states. Public opinion surveys indicate that in these seven states, the election could result in a narrow margin victory – echoing the tug-of-war seen in the 2020 and 2016 elections.
Vice President Harris and former President Trump have been focusing their efforts primarily on the swing states of Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia, and North Carolina.
As election affairs are managed by the states, many states have made changes to their election laws post the 2020 election, largely dependent on which party controls the state legislature.
Here are summaries of swing state voting rule changes compiled from sources such as the Voting Rights Lab:
In 2022, Michigan approved several reforms supporting voters, significantly expanding voting channels. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, up to now, the Democratic-controlled legislature has not passed any measures restricting voting.
Just in 2023, the state passed 12 laws expanding access to ballot drop boxes. The Brennan Center for Justice stated this was the most expansive legislation passed by a single state in a year in the past decade.
Out of the 10 laws implemented for the November elections, 5 make mail-in voting easier. Early voting will last for nine days, and all mail-in ballots will have prepaid return postage. Additionally, each community will have at least one drop box for absentee ballots, and officials have set up a system to allow online absentee ballot applications.
The remaining 2 laws also ease voting access, one allowing pre-registration for 16-year-olds and expanding same-day registration, and the other abolishing the ban of assistance to voters getting to polling stations.
Since 2020, Nevada has enacted six election-related laws to expand voting channels for voters.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nevada officials used emergency rules during the 2020 elections to manage early voting in the state. Officials sent mail-in ballots to all voters in the state, set up at least one drop box in each county, permitted third-party collection of ballots, and counted absentee ballots received after Election Day as long as they were postmarked by Election Day.
In 2021, Democratic leaders in the state legislature converted these temporary provisions into permanent laws, meaning these changes will apply to the elections this November. The legislature also implemented risk-limiting audits to demonstrate confidence in election results.
Additionally, three new laws were passed, including provisions to expand voting channels for tribal voters residing on reservations, simplify the process of establishing polling stations and drop-off boxes on reservations. Before the new laws were enacted, reservations had to submit applications for drop boxes or polling stations.
The state has also expanded the number of state agencies that can handle automatic registration and authorized the governor to designate any agency related to Native American tribes as a voter registration agency if necessary.
The state has 6 electoral votes.
Pennsylvania voters will see a significant expansion of voting channels, but those opting for mail-in voting may encounter some obstacles.
Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro has created a new system where eligible residents are automatically registered when they obtain or renew a driver’s license, ensuring voters are added to the voter rolls automatically.
However, voters choosing to vote by absentee ballot must submit their ballots on time, as their votes might be discarded if not received promptly. During the 2020 election, mail-in ballots postmarked on Election Day were allowed for three days after the election. In 2024, mail-in ballots must be received before Election Day.
State law also requires voters to write the date they are mailing back their ballots on the envelope. A state appellate court recently ruled that ballots without a date or with incorrect dates cannot be counted.
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes.
In recent years, Wisconsin legislators have attempted multiple times to restrict mail-in voting procedures through laws, which were then vetoed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers.
In 2020, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the state established hundreds of absentee ballot drop boxes. Over a year later, the state’s conservative justices on the state Supreme Court ruled against the use of drop boxes, banning them from 2022 onwards.
With Democrats regaining control of the state court in 2023, a review of this controversial decision was agreed upon. However, a final decision has not been made yet.
The state has 10 electoral votes.
In Arizona, voting channels remain largely unchanged from the 2020 election period.
One significant change this time is that election officials will have more time to process mail-in ballots, but due to high voter turnout and insufficient staffing, it may take several days to report sufficient vote counts.
The state is also embroiled in a debate over mail-in voting. Republicans in the legislature, expressing concerns about the integrity of the voting process, have been seeking to tighten some voting laws under the guise of security, but so far, Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs has halted all related legislation.
A federal court overturned parts of a law passed in 2022, including expanding citizenship proof during voting. Some remaining laws require voters to prove their residency. Cases challenging these laws are ongoing.
Another law passed in 2022 requires voter registration forms to include a statement that if a voter permanently moves out of Arizona after registering to vote in the state, their registration will be canceled.
The state has 11 electoral votes.
North Carolina has been the site of several controversial voting law changes.
Voters in the state must present a photo ID to vote in November – a change that has occurred since 2020.
According to the Voting Rights Lab, North Carolina now has the strictest mail-in voting requirements in the country. Voters are now required by law to include a copy of their ID as well as a notary’s signature or two witness signatures when mailing back their mail-in ballots.
Another change regarding mail-in voting is the deadline by which ballots must be received. Previously, ballots postmarked before Election Day could be counted even if they arrived three days late. However, this year, ballots must be received by Election Day.
The state also passed laws granting partisan poll watchers at polling stations more power, making it easier to challenge mail-in or early voting ballots.
The state has 16 electoral votes.
Georgia has seen increasingly heated disputes over voting rights and voting channels, with the state enacting more laws that could potentially restrict voting. Many laws have been passed post the 2020 election.
In 2021, a law was enacted that prohibited providing water or food to voters waiting in line at polling stations in Georgia, a measure that received sharp criticism. The same law also restricted the placement of voting drop boxes in the state.
In March 2024, another law was passed banning a type of vote-counting machine that tallies votes by reading QR codes or other marks left on the ballot by the computer. This law will not take effect until 2026. Republican Governor Brian Kemp has yet to indicate whether he will sign the law.
The state has 16 electoral votes.