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The State of the Vote: LGBTQ+ Voter Suppression in 2026
With targeted voter suppression on the rise, the importance of the progressive mission and voter protection has never been more evident. Knowing that in 2023 alone, state legislatures introduced more than 520 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, we’ve seen firsthand how these suppressive tactics have negatively impacted the LGBTQ+ community.
At Civitech, our core mission is to make democracy accessible to all Americans, and we plan to dismantle the barriers placed to withhold LGBTQ+ civic engagement.
A History of Voter Suppression in America
To address the relationship between voter suppression and the LGBTQ+ community specifically, we must first acknowledge just how ingrained these tactics are in American democracy. In 1776, the Founding Fathers wrote about “a fair and just democracy for all”, yet it was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that “all” Americans were legally granted the right to vote. Even still, voter suppression is a pervasive feature of the American political system.
Since 1965, states have imposed more and more barriers to the ballot box, creating legislation that creates stricter voter ID laws, cuts early voting capabilities, restricts voter registration, and beyond. These efforts were heightened in 2013, specifically, when the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act with its Shelby County v. Holder decision. With this ruling, the court rolled back the key provisions that required federal oversight of districts based on their histories of voter discrimination. Together, these efforts have led to a surge in voter suppression laws, especially following the 2020 election.
How Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation Is Being Used as a Political Weapon
Our current political climate is defined by profound polarization and the weaponization of an “us versus them” rhetoric. Marginalized groups often take the brunt of these divisive tactics, especially during electoral campaigns and legislative sessions.
For the LGBTQ+ community specifically, these tactics have manifested themselves as attacks on their existence, accompanied by false and pathologizing narratives about the community as a whole. In 2023, state legislatures introduced more than 520 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, with at least 74 of which were passed into law. About half of these bills targeted trans and non-binary people, and many targeted youth specifically, speaking to subjects like health care, education, and public accommodations.
Support for the LGBTQ+ community among Republicans:
Yes (2021/2022) | Yes (2026) | |
Do you support same-sex marriage? | 55% | 37% |
Is changing one’s gender morally acceptable? | 22% | 5% |
Attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have yielded dangerous results already. Researchers at Gallup found that before the rise of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans, for about two decades, Americans grew more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community and more supportive of their civil rights. These attitudes peaked about five years ago, when conservatives found that they could capitalize on divisive tactics, and have only increased since.
How Voter ID Laws Disenfranchise Transgender Voters
The most prevalent method used for LGBTQ+ voter suppression is the imposition of restrictive voter ID laws.
In early 2026, Congressional Republicans introduced and passed the SAVE Act, a proposed piece of legislation designed to significantly limit access to voting and implement strict photo ID requirements for federal elections. Though this legislation did not pass the Senate, it is truly troubling that a bill introducing extreme levels of voter suppression was considered so thoroughly by high-level politicians.
More recently, the Trump administration issued an executive order demanding that the federal government only recognize two sexes, male and female. This order has since led the State Department to suspend its policy of recognizing transgender, intersex, and nonbinary identities on passports.
Legislative acts like these place barriers to civic participation for the transgender community. Especially as it is not uncommon for a transgender person’s identification documents to not accurately reflect their gender, these ID-related laws are unfortunately effective in barring members of this community from civic engagement.
LGBTQ+ Voter Turnout and Civic Engagement: What the Data Shows
In the face of immense suppressive efforts and negative rhetoric, members of the LGBTQ+ community remain undeterred from fulfilling their civic responsibilities.
Research done by the Human Rights Campaign reveals that compared to non-members of the community, LGBTQ+ identifying Americans are more likely to:
- Intend to vote
- Participate civically (beyond just voting)
- Have greater concern about barriers that could affect access to the ballot
- Contact an elected official
- Donate to a political campaign or cause
- Sign a petition
- Post or share political content online
Despite efforts to silence this community, members of the LGBTQ+ community are not retreating from civic engagement. History points to the fact that this community has long been deeply engaged in civic and political participation, and research solidifies that this pattern is continuing rather than fading.
As long as barriers exist between Americans and the democratic process, Civitech will pursue change to ensure all voters and candidates alike have their voices heard. We stand with members of the LGBTQ+ community against Republican attacks on their right to exist and be heard in this nation.
Civitech builds data infrastructure and technology for progressive political organizations, voter registration campaigns, and civic engagement initiatives. To learn more about how we support progressive campaigns, organizations, and causes, go to civitech.io.