from States Newsroom
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By Robin Opsahl |
Voting rights advocates have expressed concerns about Americans’ access to the ballot box in 2026 heading into the midterms. New court decisions and other voting law updates have provided more clarity following the primary season in some states:
In Virginia, some Virginians with felony convictions missed their chance to vote in congressional primary elections earlier this month despite a lawsuit finding they should not have lost their voting rights. But a new ruling from U.S. District Court Judge John Gibney means that they will be able to vote in this November’s general elections and weigh in on a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine restored voting rights for people with felony convictions, so long as their prison sentences are complete.
The Arkansas Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to reverse the secretary of state’s decision to disqualify a direct democracy ballot measure from the ballot. This decision came after supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment filed the lawsuit following Secretary of State Cole Jester’s decision to reject thousands of petition signatures in favor of the ballot measure because the incorrect ballot name was on the nearly 20,000 petition pages.
There are other challenges still being discussed, which could have an impact on some voters’ ability to participate in the Nov. 3 election. The Republican National Committee appealed a district judge’s ruling Wednesday to the Nebraska Supreme Court that upheld the validity of a state law allowing certain overseas voters to vote. The case involves a state law dating back to 2005 that allows U.S. citizens who have never resided in Nebraska but have a parent registered to vote in one Nebraska county to register in that county. It would be a felony to register or vote in multiple states or counties.
TOP IMPACT
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Washington, D.C., pictured in Feb. 3, 2026. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
By Ariana Figueroa | News from the States
Fentanyl seizures decreased by 39% during the first year of the second Trump administration after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shifted the Department of Homeland Security’s criminal investigations arm to conducting immigration enforcement, according to a report government investigators published Friday.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a subagency of DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reported an “all hands-on deck” environment toward immigration enforcement began in January 2025, according to the DHS Office of Inspector General report. The report found that the hours dedicated to fentanyl investigations for fiscal 2025 declined by more than 250,000 hours, or 31%, compared to fiscal 2024.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled earlier this month that the state of Idaho cannot regulate abortion when a pregnancy threatens a person’s physical or mental health. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador has appealed the decision. (Photo by Otto Kitsinger for the Idaho Capital Sun)
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris | Stateline
A federal court ruling out of Idaho has potential implications for exceptions in abortion bans nationwide and could eventually end up before the U.S. Supreme Court to decide.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled earlier this month that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides a narrow right for a pregnant patient to obtain an abortion if the pregnancy could be a risk to their health, including their mental health. It’s the first ruling since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health in 2022 to find that the U.S. Constitution includes a right to abortion access in certain situations. Mary Ziegler, a legal historian and law professor, said Winmill’s ruling could be the beginning of a “slow erosion” of the Dobbs decision, similar to the way that anti-abortion advocates used lawsuits and legislation to chip away at the law established by Roe v. Wade after it was decided in 1973.
BIG PICTURE
Demolition work continued where the East Wing once stood at the White House on Dec. 8, 2025. President Donald Trump ordered the 123-year-old East Wing and Jacqueline Kennedy Garden leveled to make way for a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, CONGRESS AND COURTS
USA: US Supreme Court allows $400M Trump ballroom project to proceed | News from the States
USA: Sanctuary policies are keeping prisoners in local jails away from ICE | Stateline
OH: ICE has begun targeting and detaining Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio | Ohio Capital Journal
TX: Minnesota sues Abbott to force extradition of ICE agent accused of shooting Venezuelan man | Texas Tribune
CA: Federal judge poised to restrict immigration arrest tactics in Los Angeles raids | CalMatters
USA: Appeals court upholds ban on immigration enforcement ‘at or near’ churches across 33 states, DC | Stateline
ME: The 911 calls made after ICE fatally shot Biddeford man | Maine Morning Star
USA: Trump administration plans $100,000 visa fee for high-skill foreign workers | News from the States
IA: Judge: DOJ claims are ‘hard to take seriously’ in Iowa deportation case | Iowa Capital Dispatch
NV: Rosen to DHS: Disclose info-sharing agreement between ICE, TSA | Nevada Current
USA: Trump’s court workarounds push limits but are within legal bounds, experts say | News from the States
PA: Food banks across Pennsylvania are struggling to keep up in the face of SNAP cuts, economic pain | Pennsylvania Capital-Star
ME: Maine health department to review Medicaid oversight after Republican push | Maine Morning Star
AR: Arkansas officials confident people on Medicaid expansion will retain health coverage | Arkansas Advocate
USA: White House to press forward with FDA nominee despite US Senate chairman’s concerns | News from the States
AL: Alabama Obamacare enrollment drops 23% after tax credits expire | Alabama Reflector
USA: Federal judge halts proposed HHS changes to teen pregnancy prevention program | Stateline
NH: Strafford County food pantries raise alarm about increasing hunger and food insecurity | New Hampshire Bulletin
IA: Beef producers ‘disappointed’ by Trump tariff suspension | Iowa Capital Dispatch
KS: US Sen. Jerry Moran warns of Canadian salt tariffs’ effect on Kansas taxpayers | Kansas Reflector
CAMPAIGNS, VOTING AND ELECTION LAW
MO: Judge blocks referendum on gerrymandered Missouri redistricting plan | Missouri Independent
MD: Judge rejects request to move redistricting lawsuit from Dorchester County | Maryland Matters
IN: Braun joins Trump in hailing Senate leadership change, but not calling for 2027 redistricting | Indiana Capital Chronicle
NE: Nebraska GOP, Dems appeal to state Supreme Court to stop other political parties | Nebraska Examiner
NC: Republicans on the North Carolina elections board agree to drop Sunday early voting hours in 10 more counties | NC Newsline
ID: Idaho Secretary of State’s Office updates voter look-up tool after public reports website glitch | Idaho Capital Sun
OH: Columbus sues Trump administration over plan tying anti-terrorism funding to election changes | Ohio Capital Journal
NE: Petition fraud investigation expands to all 2026 Nebraska-wide ballot measures | Nebraska Examiner
AZ: Court won’t force Adrian Fontes to rewrite GOP election measure’s ballot summary | Arizona Mirror
SC: Trump rallies for Darline Graham ahead of US Senate runoff | South Carolina Daily Gazette
MI: Latino turnout jumps in Michigan primary as community’s political power grows | Michigan Advance
FL: Angie Nixon shrugs off the Florida GOP attacks that are just beginning | Florida Phoenix
NE: Nebraska Democrats vote not to fill vacancy for Senate race | Nebraska Examiner
MO: Meet the conservative strategist working to upend Missouri Republican politics | Missouri Independent
AK: With almost all Alaska primary election day ballots counted, only a few races remain in question | Alaska Beacon
NC: Healthcare costs, Medicaid cuts draw increased scrutiny from North Carolina Democrats ahead of midterms | NC Newsline
IA: Libertarian Jacob Heard committed to fight for party’s ballot access | Iowa Capital Dispatch
WI: Republicans on defense as Democrats seek control of the Wisconsin Senate | Wisconsin Examiner
IN: Spat breaks out in secretary of state’s race over Indiana transgender sports ban | Indiana Capital Chronicle
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