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New voting restrictions developed since 2010 are slated to be in place in 22 states this November. In 15 of these states, 2014 will be the first federal election with new restrictions in effect, according to a report released today by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.
Unless the laws are blocked by the courts -- and there are court challenges to measures in six of those states -- eligible voters in nearly half the country could find it harder to cast a ballot in the 2014 midterm elections. The new laws range from photo ID requirements to early voting cutbacks to voter registration restrictions -- all of which could have an impact on voter turnout and contribute to confusion at the polls in November.
States With New Voting Restrictions Since 2010 Election
"We are still in the midst of a high-pitched and often highly partisan battle over voting rights in America," said Wendy Weiser, report co-author and Director of the Brennan Center for Justice's Democracy Program. "Many Americans face an ever-shifting voting landscape before heading to the polls this November."
"Our nation was founded on the principle that we are all created equal, yet we are about to face a situation where voters in nearly half the country may be worse off at the polls this November than they were four years ago," said Myrna Perez, Democracy Program Deputy Director. "We should be building on the positive momentum in states that are expanding voting, not rolling back the rights of eligible voters."
The report identifies new state voting laws that could significantly impact the 2014 elections, how these measures affect voters, and ongoing developments in the courts that could create last-minute changes before this year's elections.
The report also details:
- The seven states facing ongoing suits challenging election laws that could continue to change the voting landscape, including in Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin.
- How restrictive voting laws disproportionately affect voters of color. Measures that impose voter ID requirements, cut early voting, and restrict voter registration have an outsized effect on minorities, making it more difficult for eligible voters of color to cast a ballot.
- How partisanship was a key factor in pushing restrictive voting laws in the states. Of the 22 states with new restrictions, 18 passed through GOP-controlled legislatures.
- Laws to expand voting, which passed in 16 states, 11 of which will have the new policies in place for November.
See all of the Brennan Center's research on the State of Voting in 2014, including:
- Interactive Map: States with new voting restrictions since the 2010 election
- Interactive Map: Major voting litigation that could impact 2014
- Interactive Map: States that expanded voting in 2013 and 2014
- Comprehensive Roundup: Voting Law Changes in 2014
The Brennan Center for Justice is a nonpartisan law and policy institute. We strive to uphold the values of democracy. We stand for equal justice and the rule of law. We work to craft and advance reforms that will make American democracy work, for all.
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'1.5ºC Is Dead': Climate Movement Holds Funeral for Paris Agreement Target
Almost a decade ago, parties to the Paris treaty agreed to work toward limiting temperature rise this century to 1.5ºC—but 2024 was the hottest year in human history, and countries around the world show no signs of reining in planet-wrecking fossil fuels anywhere near the degree that scientists warn is necessary to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown.
"Crossing 1.5ºC for a whole calendar year is a wake-up call for the world," said Olympic gold medalist and XR U.K. spokesperson Etienne Stott, highlighting another alarming record from last year. "If we want to avoid crossing further tipping points we need a complete transformation of society."
Extinction Rebellion and other climate groups held a funeral for the Paris agreement's 1.5°C temperature target in Cambridge, England on May 10, 2025. (Photo: Derek Langley)
Scientists from universities in the United Kingdom and Germany warned in a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Earth System Dynamics last month that humankind is at risk of triggering various climate tipping points absent urgent action to dramatically reduce emissions from fossil fuels.
"There are levers policymakers can pull to rapidly phase out fossil fuels, but this requires standing up to powerful interests," Stott said Saturday. "Activists need to build power, resilience, and the world we want to see in our communities; but we also need to keep seeking the spark that will cause the worldwide transformation we need to see."
In addition to the Cambridge and U.K. arms of Extinction Rebellion, Saturday's action was organized by Cambridge Greenpeace, Cambridge Stop the War, and the Organization of Radical Cambridge Activists (ORCA).
Varsity, the independent student newspaper at the University of Cambridge, reported that the marchers "rallied at Christ's Pieces, where they heard from one of the organizers, who emphasised the harm caused by exceeding 1.5ºC of warming."
"The march then proceeded up Christ's Lane and down Sidney Street, led by a group of 'Red Rebels,' dressed in red robes with faces painted white, followed by 'pall bearers' carrying coffins painted black, with the words 'Inaction Is Death' in white," according to Varsity. "The procession was completed by a samba band who drummed as they walked, followed by protesters carrying a large sign reading 'Don't silence the science,' along with many other smaller placards."
Members of the "Red Rebel Brigade" led a procession around Cambridge, England as part of a funeral for the Paris agreement's 1.5°C temperature target on May 10, 2025. (Photo: Derek Langley)
Photos from organizers show participants displaying banners with messages such as "No Future on a Dead Planet," and additional messages painted on the black coffins: "1.5ºC Is Dead," "Act Now," "Ecocide," "RIP Earth," and "Web of Life."
"Politicians have broken their promises to keep global temperature rises to a livable 1.5ºC," declared Zoe Flint, a spokesperson for XR Cambridge. "For decades, people around the world have been resisting environmental devastation in their own communities and beyond—often facing state repression and violence as a result."
"With dozens of political protesters now in prison in this country, that repression has come to the U.K. too," Flint noted. "But when those least responsible for climate breakdown suffer the worst effects, we can't afford to give up the fight."
Parties to the Paris agreement are set to gather next in November at the United Nations climate summit, COP30, in Belém, Brazil.
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