As early voting begins for the 2024 midterm elections, more than three dozen new voting laws are taking effect across Republican-controlled states, incorporating key elements of former President Donald Trump’s proposals aimed at tightening election procedures. These state-level changes include stricter identification requirements for voter registration, proof-of-citizenship mandates, and adjustments to mail voting processes.
Trump’s efforts to enact similar federal measures—such as a proof-of-citizenship law and a national voter ID requirement—faced obstacles in Congress and the courts and did not materialize in time to impact the current election cycle. Nonetheless, many of his priorities have found support in state legislatures controlled by Republicans, reflecting ongoing concerns about election integrity following Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Supporters of these laws argue they are necessary to restore confidence in election outcomes. “Every single vote cast by a noncitizen disenfranchises a lawful voter,” said Ohio State Senator Theresa Gavarone, a primary sponsor of one such measure. Ohio, where new proof-of-citizenship requirements now apply to certain voter registrations through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the mail ballot receipt deadline has been tightened to Election Day, has become a focal point in the debate. While Republicans point to hundreds of noncitizens removed from voter rolls recently, voting rights groups warn that outdated databases risk disenfranchising eligible voters. The ACLU of Ohio has filed a lawsuit opposing the law, emphasizing that many lawful voters could be wrongly purged.
Other states have enacted similar restrictions. In New Hampshire, students can no longer use student identification cards to register to vote, a move sponsored by State Representative Donald McFarlane, who said the change standardizes ID requirements across all voters. Utah now demands more detailed information on mail ballot envelopes, and Mississippi has introduced requirements for voters to present birth certificates or passports. Some measures, such as South Dakota’s law requiring first-time registrants to present government-issued IDs in person, have also faced legal challenges. Advocates express concern about the practical burdens these rules may place on voters, particularly in rural or remote areas.
Voting rights advocates contend that these new hurdles disproportionately affect eligible voters, particularly among minority and low-income populations. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU Voting Rights Project, described the laws as part of “a coordinated effort to restrict voting access” despite the absence of evidence supporting claims of systemic fraud. The Brennan Center for Justice identified nearly 40 new laws across 21 states set to make voter registration and voting more difficult this election season.
While opposition to these changes is vocal, some Democrats have expressed conditional openness to voter ID requirements, provided they are implemented without reliance on discredited fraud allegations. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, for example, has indicated support for voter identification measures untainted by conspiracy theories.
The debate over election security versus voting accessibility remains a prominent issue as states enforce new voter regulations for the 2024 midterms. As these laws come into effect, election officials and voters alike are navigating tightening requirements amid a politically charged environment shaped by lingering mistrust of the electoral process.