Committee for Safe and Secure Elections Releases Updated 2025 Law Enforcement Reference Guides for All 50 States and D.C.

August 21, 2025 – Pocket reference guides provide law enforcement officials with up-to-date state election law information to help protect against violence, threats, and intimidation.

Media Contact: Cassidy Schwartz

Email: csse@clyde.us

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August 21, 2025 – The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE) today announced the release of its updated 2025 law enforcement quick reference guides in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These pocket-sized resources are a collection of each state’s election security laws, providing officers and government officials ​​with a convenient resource that helps them to protect election operations, voters, and election workers from potential threats, intimidation, or obstruction.

The Committee first developed these quick reference guides in 2022 to help address the increasing threats and pressure faced by election officials. The idea was inspired by CSSE’s Chair Emeritus, Neal Kelley, who drew on his prior experience as a police officer. During his time in law enforcement, Kelley relied on pocket-sized legal guides during traffic stops to ensure officers had easy access to relevant laws. When he later became Orange County’s Registrar of Voters, he recognized that law enforcement officers needed similar tools to support the safe administration of elections.

Since then, the guides have expanded to cover every state and the District of Columbia. The 2025 guides reflect new statutes and amendments in each state, ensuring officers have the most current and accurate information as they prepare for this year’s elections.

“There are no off years in elections,” said Tina Barton, Co-Chair of CSSE and former City Clerk of Rochester Hills, MI. “As a former election official, I know firsthand how critical it is to have clear, accessible guidance about election laws. Updating these guides reflects the importance of growing the collaboration between law enforcement and the election community to ensure every voter and election worker is protected.”

CSSE member Kathy Boockvar, former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, led the 2025 update effort, enlisting feedback from state and local officials to verify the accuracy of the guides.

“These reference guides are a key resource for safeguarding our elections,” noted Boockvar. “By making the guides easily accessible to law enforcement and election officials alike, tailored to the specific laws applicable in each state, CSSE is helping officials ensure that election operations are conducted safely and securely.”

“Election Day can present unpredictable situations that require law enforcement to make quick decisions,” said CSSE member Undersheriff Chance Walkama of Laramie County, Wyoming. “Having these convenient guides at their disposal gives officers a reliable resource that helps them protect voters and election staff effectively.”

Recent findings from the Brennan Center for Justice reveal that more than one in three local election officials have experienced threats, harassment, or abuse because of their job, and more than half of local election officials have reported concerns about the safety of their colleagues. Importantly, the share of election offices coordinating with local law enforcement in the past election cycle rose from 62 percent in 2024 to 82 percent in 2025. These findings show why accessible, reliable resources are critical for helping officers maintain secure polling sites. 

To further support election security, CSSE has introduced additional resources this year, including the Security Assessment Checklist and the Bomb Threat Resource Guide, to help election officials and law enforcement stay prepared. Committee members also continue to travel the country to lead tabletop exercises (TTXs) that build relationships between law enforcement officers and election officials, and help the two groups better prevent and respond to election-related violence and intimidation.

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About The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections: The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections features cross-partisan experts in election administration and law enforcement who aim to support policies and practices that protect election workers and voters from violence, threats and intimidation. The Committee also works to build relationships and trust between election officials and law enforcement to better equip both to prevent and respond to threats and violence against voters and election workers. For more information about The Committee’s resources and policy principles, please visit safeelections.org.

2025 Law Enforcement Quick Reference Guides:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington 
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming