Election Law Program launches online tool to help navigate state election laws

The tool is designed to help judges, lawyers, members of the media, elections officials and the public efficiently navigate complex state election statutes.

Election statutes, regulations and advisory opinions are now available in one place using the Election Law Navigator, a free, comprehensive online tool.

Released by the Election Law Program (ELP), a joint project of William & Mary Law School and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), the tool is designed to help judges, lawyers, members of the media, elections officials and the public efficiently navigate complex state election statutes.

"The Election Law Navigator is the culmination of years of work to provide courts with a trusted, neutral tool for the fair and efficient resolution of election disputes," said A. Benjamin Spencer, dean and trustee professor of William & Mary Law School. "In a rapidly changing legal landscape, this platform serves as a toolkit for judges to resolve disputes and strengthen public confidence in our electoral process."

While the navigator was developed as a nonpartisan resource for judges, this extensive, one-of-a-kind database is a valuable tool for anyone interested in election laws with more than 30,000 statutes, regulations, advisory opinions and related material from all 50 states.

Powered by a human-checked artificial intelligence model, the navigator organizes legal documents by topic and features a custom election-focused search tool, state-to-state comparison capability and more than 100 election-specific topic tags for quick access to relevant content.

"NCSC is committed to providing resources and tools that drive innovation and progress in courts," said NCSC President Elizabeth Clement. "The Election Law Navigator is a perfect example of how new technologies can be used to further support the judiciary in resolving disputes fairly and efficiently and upholding the rule of law."

The navigator is now available at www.electionlawnavigator.org. To learn more about the tool, watch a brief YouTube video.

About the Election Law Program

Created in 2005 as a joint venture of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and William & Mary Law School, the Election Law Program (ELP) is a nonpartisan partnership seeking to provide practical assistance to state court judges deciding election disputes. ELP resources include an Election Law Manual for judges unpacking pre- Election Day and post-election litigation procedures and remedies.

Among other projects, ELP has produced an election orders database and a series of web-based lectures designed to educate judges and journalists about the fundamentals of election law. ELP regularly adds to its collection of resources for judges deciding election disputes. Materials can be found at the ELP website.

W&M Law School staff

• share by email
• share on Facebook
• share on X
• share on LinkedIn

• share by email
• share on Facebook
• share on X
• share on LinkedIn

Related Stories