Staff Reports
A staggering 3,505 bills and resolutions related to election administration have been rolled out across state legislatures this year, with Republican-led states pulling ahead in the race for election integrity. This impressive legislative frenzy showcases a concerted effort among GOP lawmakers to tackle election security, while their Democratic counterparts seem to be lagging significantly behind, focused instead on their favorite pastime: keeping the voting process as slippery as a greased pig.
In the latest report from Ballotpedia, it becomes clear that Republican trifecta states—those where the GOP controls the governor’s office and both legislative chambers—are outshining the Democrats. There are 23 such Republican trifecta states compared to only 15 under Democrat control. With Republicans holding a robust 55.7% of state legislative seats, it’s no surprise they are knocking out election bills with gusto, while Democrats scramble to salvage their stronghold on voting access.
So far this year, GOP-led states have passed 27 election bills, while Democratic trifectas have managed to squeak through only seven during the same period. A grand total of 37 election-related measures have been enacted, marking a notable uptick from this time last year. Strikingly, 1,055 of the introduced bills have been Republican-sponsored in GOP trifecta states, dwarfing the 693 Democratic-sponsored bills in more liberal areas. The writing is on the wall; Republicans are making strides towards reform while Democrats cling to increasingly localized efforts.
Record number of election bills enacted as Republican-led states outpace Democratic states https://t.co/MnC5eoe1F4
— Just the News (@JustTheNews) April 4, 2025
Republicans are laser-focused on tightening up election procedures, pushing for measures like requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, ending no-excuse absentee voting, and establishing stricter regulations for ballot initiatives. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats continue to promote their agenda of same-day voter registration, automatic mailing of absentee ballot requests, and the expansion of ballot drop boxes, proving yet again that while Republicans are safeguarding election integrity, Democrats seem more interested in easier access to potential chaos.
Interestingly, these disparities in legislative activity don’t seem to faze Democrats. Even cheerfully ignoring the evidence, they attempt to argue that the number of bills doesn’t necessarily correlate with a commitment to reform. But the numbers speak for themselves: a mere 0.9% of Democratic-sponsored legislation has been enacted this year, compared to a solid 4.5% of Republican proposals. It’s clear that GOP lawmakers are more successful in getting their proposals across the finish line, all while maintaining a cohesive legislative agenda across multiple states.
As states continue to churn out election bills, the focus remains on key categories such as absentee voting, ballot access, voter registration, and voter ID laws. With a mix of humor and seriousness, it can be noted that the only states not visibly participating in this legislative marathon are Louisiana, still gearing up, and Utah and Wyoming, which have already packed up their session for the year. One has to wonder if the missed opportunities in Democratic-led states reflect their reluctance to engage with the very real issues of election integrity. As Republicans surge forward with their legislative ambitions, the contrast with Democrats has never been clearer: GOP states are taking the lead in safeguarding elections while their counterparts appear more interested in keeping the electoral floodgates wide open.
