A closer look at state-level voting rights acts
Since Congress passed the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), prohibiting racial discrimination in voting nationwide, 10 states have passed state-level voting rights acts. The provisions of these laws vary, but they generally include policies that mirror or expand on the federal VRA.
All states with VRAs had a Democratic trifecta when those laws were approved. California was the first state to enact its own VRA, doing so in 2002. Maryland became the most recent state to pass a VRA on April 28, 2026.
