There is a new study in Political Behavior (2025) entitled: Petigrew, S., Radley, D., Overvotes, Overranks, and Skips, Mismarked and Rejected Votes in Ranked Choice Voting. The study provides evidence that “some groups of voters are confused by Ranked Choice Voting.” The study found that one in twenty Ranked Choice ballots “include a mismark.” The article also provides "evidence of the potential extent of that confusion.” To read the article, click here.

The Election Reformers Network has issued a report on Partisan Control of Ballot Measures. They include suggestions on how to stop the manipulation of citizen initiatives. To read their report click here.

In Solution 2 of this article entitled Dismantling the Political Duopoly, at 129 Penn. St. L. Rev. Statim 204 (2025) the authors B. Paige Lawson and Wes Henriksen explain Ranked Choice Voting and how it promotes majority support, reduces the need to strategically vote, encourages position campaigning, and saves taxpayers and campaigns money. Click here to read the article.

On January 23, 2025, in an article in the Democracy SOS Substack, Greg Dennis, from Voter Choice Massachusetts, asserts that Ranked Choice Voting is superior to Condorcet Voting as a tool for political depolarization. Click here to read the article.

Note: Professor Ned Foley has criticized these conclusions in the 1/26/2025 Election Law Blog and argues “as laboratories of democracy states should consider Condorcet voting along with IRV. . ." (Instant Runoff Voting, which is another term for Ranked Choice Voting).

In Fulcrum, Eveline Dowling, PhD, Senior Fellow at Expand Democracy, concluded in a January 22, 2025 article based on a statistical study that Ranked Choice Voting may lead to proportional representation in ways that other election reforms do not. Click here to read the article.

Vote.org has published a list of the early voting calendar by state. Click here to see the list.

States United Democracy Center has released a new study comparing state by state voter turnout over time since 2000, in general and primary elections, and by elected positions. To access the report click here.

The Brennan Center for Justice has issued a new Guide to Laws Against Intimidation of Voters and Election Workers.” This guide “identifies the kinds of intimidating conduct that ... are most likely to arise and outlines the legal tools to deter, mitigate, and respond to such tactics. To read this guide click here.

Evaluating the 2022 election cycle, a new report analyzes how states can combat election misinformation and build trust in elections. You can read the report here.

The Brennan Center has issued its latest local election officials survey. Most significantly, they found that since 2020, 98% of the officials have taken critical steps to increase election security for voters, election workers, and election infrastructure. They also found that 62% of election officials are worried that politicians in future elections would interfere with their work. To review all the survey findings, click here.

Click here to see the Justice Department’s updated Voting Rights and Elections website.

The Brennan Center for Justice has issued a report detailing the costs for replacing voting equipment in the United States. You can read the report here.

The American Law Institute has assembled a bipartisan working group to develop ethical standards for election administration. To read the report's recommendations, click here.

Bolts, a digital magazine focusing on criminal justice and voting rights, has raised 12 questions shaping democracy and voting rights in 2024.  You can read the article here: Twelve Questions

The States United, Protect Democracy and Law Forward, published a year end report that found 28 states had passed 62 bills in since 2020 that could cause confusion or delay in the election process. Click here to view the report.

The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice has written three reports on voting rights. They are listed below and can be accessed by clicking on the links below.

⁠Jury of Our Peers: Why New Jersey Must Allow People with Criminal Convictions to Serve on Juries⁠

⁠New Jersey Needs a #NJVRANow⁠

⁠Our Vote, Our Power: Lifting Up Democracy's Voices in the Garden State

While states and local governments establish most election policies and procedures, the federal government also is involved. The Bipartisan Policy Center, based in Washington, D.C., has produced an explainer that depicts in visualized form and text the role played by the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches in U.S. Elections. Click here to read the article.