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New Democracy Maps

Primaries & General Elections

The resources on this page contain previews of past general elections, and overviews of the voting landscape during those elections, along with discussion of key issues by state. These spotlights outline policies that impacted what voting looked like in a number of battleground states and provides overviews of how voting and election laws have changed from election to election, for better or for worse. 

Related Resources

Brief

Election Year Trends: Voting and Democracy Policies to Watch in 2024

March 2024 - In this brief, MAP analyzes trends in election administration and voting policies that have emerged in statehouses in 2024.

Map

Democracy Map: Partisanship of State Primary Election Systems

States primary election systems vary widely, with some elections only open to voters registered with a particular party, while other states allow non-affiliated voters to participate as well. This map tracks systems used for state level and congressional primaries.

Brief

Super Tuesday Preview: the Voting Landscape in Four Key States

February 2024 - This brief details the state of voting and election policies in Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia in advance of Super Tuesday on March 5.

Analysis

Midterm Election 2022: How Direct Democracy Impacted Voting and Election Rules

November 2022 - This analysis explains how, along with shifting control of state governments across the country, the results of the 2022 midterms will play a significant role in shaping democracy as we head into the next election in 2024.

Analysis

Breaking Trends on Election Day

November 2022 - Voters are motivated by the gravity of the issues at stake in this election, including abortion access and the health of our democracy itself.

Analysis

Changes to Mail Voting Rules Could Impact Midterm Election Results in Multiple States

November 2022 - Voters in many states are casting their mail ballots under a different set of rules than in 2020. In battleground states like Florida, Georgia, and Nevada, these changes to mail voting policies have the potential to swing election results.

Analysis

State of Democracy Spotlight: Wisconsin

October 2022 - Our last spotlight features Wisconsin, a state to watch this November. The state’s gubernatorial election is also set to have an outsized influence on the health of democracy in Wisconsin going forward.

Analysis

State of Democracy Spotlight: Pennsylvania

October 2022 - This spotlight features Pennsylvania. With a Senate seat and governorship being decided on by voters, as well as control of the state legislature, the 2022 election will decide if the state’s democracy will rebound or continue to decline in the years ahead.

Analysis

State of Democracy Spotlight: Arizona

October 2022 - This post spotlights Arizona, an important state to watch this November. Voters will decide a Senate race in addition to their next governor and secretary of state. Keep reading to learn more about Arizona's state of democracy.

Analysis

State of Democracy Spotlight: Michigan

October 2022 - This spotlight outlines how Michigan ranks in the six categories of policies we track and details which voting and election laws Michigan has in place. Read more to learn about the state's current voting landscape.

Analysis

State of Democracy Spotlight: Georgia

September 2022 - This spotlight outlines policies that will impact what voting may look like in Georgia this fall and summarize how voting and election laws have changed since the 2020 election, for better or for worse.

Analysis

State of Democracy Spotlight: Florida

September 2022 - This spotlight outlines the current voting landscape in Florida, key issues that are coming up in the state, and why it matters for the overall state of democracy in this country.

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Sexual Orientation Policy Tally

The term “sexual orientation” is loosely defined as a person’s pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or more than one sex or gender. Laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation primarily protect or harm lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. That said, transgender people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual can be affected by laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation.

Gender Identity Policy Tally

“Gender identity” is a person’s deeply-felt inner sense of being male, female, or something else or in-between. “Gender expression” refers to a person’s characteristics and behaviors such as appearance, dress, mannerisms and speech patterns that can be described as masculine, feminine, or something else. Gender identity and expression are independent of sexual orientation, and transgender people may identify as heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual. Laws that explicitly mention “gender identity” or “gender identity and expression” primarily protect or harm transgender people. These laws also can apply to people who are not transgender, but whose sense of gender or manner of dress does not adhere to gender stereotypes.

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