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New Democracy Maps

Infographics: How the Freedom to Vote Act Would Improve Democracy in the States



Figure 1. The Majority of States Have 
Low or Fair Democracy Tally Scores:

Figure 2: The Freedom to Vote Act, if Passed by Congress, Would Drastically Improve 
State Democracy Laws:


Figure 3. National Support for Freedom to Vote Act:




Figure 4. Policy Changes in Freedom to Vote Act:



The following infographics are drawn from the report How the Freedom to Vote Act Would Improve Democracy in the States, authored by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP).

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Sexual Orientation Policy Tally

The term “sexual orientation” is loosely defined as a person’s pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or more than one sex or gender. Laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation primarily protect or harm lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. That said, transgender people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual can be affected by laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation.

Gender Identity Policy Tally

“Gender identity” is a person’s deeply-felt inner sense of being male, female, or something else or in-between. “Gender expression” refers to a person’s characteristics and behaviors such as appearance, dress, mannerisms and speech patterns that can be described as masculine, feminine, or something else. Gender identity and expression are independent of sexual orientation, and transgender people may identify as heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual. Laws that explicitly mention “gender identity” or “gender identity and expression” primarily protect or harm transgender people. These laws also can apply to people who are not transgender, but whose sense of gender or manner of dress does not adhere to gender stereotypes.

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