Two states with Republican trifectas adopted new requirements for voter registration drives

Tennessee and Louisiana joined a group of six other states with Republican trifectas that have adopted laws related to voter registration drives or third-party assistance for voter registration applications since 2020.

In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed HB 1955 / SB 2586 on May 1, prohibiting the pre-filling of information on a voter registration application and making it a crime for anyone convicted of a felony to handle another voter’s application. The bill also provides that the date an applicant signs a voter registration application will be assumed to be the date that a person or organization returning a voter registration application received the application. State law requires any person or organization collecting a voter registration form to deliver or mail the form to the county election commission within 15 days.

In Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed HB 506 on June 19, which requires a third-party voter registration organization conducting a voter registration drive to register with the secretary of state, and prohibits anyone from filling out information on person’s voter registration application, except when specifically allowed by state law such as when providing assistance to a disabled voter. The new law also requires third-parties to submit complete registration applications within 30 days or or no later than the date for the close of registration, whichever is earlier.

Other new laws related to voter registration include:

• Arizona’s HB 2482 requires the county recorder to notify a voter of any change to his or her registration record within 24 hours and requires the notice to include instructions on how the voter may make revisions to his or her registration.
• Florida’s H 135 directs the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to ensure that a person’s party affiliation is not modified in his or her voter registration without signature and written consent and requires the department to provide a voter with a printed receipt after verifying his or her updated registration information and providing an electronic signature.

New Jersey A 3690 allows pre-registered voters who are 17-year-olds to vote in a primary election if they will be 18 years old before the next general election.

This article’s information is based on Ballotpedia’s State of Election Administration Legislation 2024 Mid-Year Report. The report provides insights, analysis, and takeaways from the 3,735 election-related bills we tracked in the first half of this year.