2011 Legislative wrap-up @ the link

Clearly the biggest elections issue in state legislatures in 2011 was voter ID, but there were a handful of other notable trends, even if they largely slipped under the radar of the national media.

Voter ID:  A total of 34 states considered voter ID legislation this year. Four states enacted new laws – Kansas, Mississippi (a citizen initiative, rather than a bill) Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Another four passed laws to make existing voter ID laws stricter – Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Voter ID bills in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio remain pending in 2011 and will carry over into 2012 if they do not receive a failing vote before the end of the year. Bills in Alaska, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska and New York will also carry over into the 2012 legislative session.