Which states explicitly ban firearms at polling places and vote‑counting facilities?

1. What the question actually asks and why it’s messy

Asking which states “explicitly ban firearms at polling places and vote‑counting facilities” demands two clarifications: whether the ban covers open carry, concealed carry, or both, and whether it applies only to polling locations or also to ballot drop boxes and vote‑counting centers — distinctions that researchers and advocates record differently, producing divergent state counts in the reporting ^{[4] [3]}.

2. What the major trackers report and why their numbers differ

The Brennan Center and allied analyses have long tracked prohibitions and reported that a relatively small set of states bar both open and concealed carry at poll sites — historically “12 states and Washington, D.C.” and, after recent legislation, described as 13 states plus D.C. in updates about Colorado’s new law ^{[1] [2]}. By contrast, Giffords’ tracker and other summaries count a larger group when they include partial bans (open‑carry only), distance buffers, or prohibitions near drop boxes and counting sites; Giffords reported a broader figure ^[3]. News outlets such as Stateline and The Trace likewise report differing totals — Stateline cites “at least 21” states with some form of restriction, reflecting differences in scope and statutory language ^{[5] [6]}.

3. Examples of states cited repeatedly as having explicit bans

Multiple sources consistently name a core set of states that have explicit prohibitions in some form: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas are cited as longstanding examples of states that prohibit guns at the polls ^[7]. California’s law has been reinforced and expanded recently and is frequently used as a model in advocacy pieces ^{[1] [8]}. Newer additions reported in 2024‑25 include New Mexico, which established a 100‑foot buffer around polling places (with some carve‑outs) ^[9], and Colorado, which extended its ban to concealed carry and explicitly included drop boxes and counting facilities ^[2]. Massachusetts enacted a 150‑foot prohibition around polling sites ^[8]. Reporting also notes state‑specific distance rules in places like Georgia and Missouri ^[10].

4. Vote‑counting facilities are less uniformly covered

Fewer states expressly name ballot‑counting facilities or election offices in their statutes; several recent laws and proposals specifically added counting centers to the list of protected “sensitive places,” but the coverage is uneven. Colorado’s 2024 legislation is notable for explicitly including ballot‑counting sites ^[2], while many other states’ prohibitions focus only on polling sites or drop boxes — a distinction tracked and emphasized by the Brennan Center and The Trace ^{[4] [6]}.

5. Important legal caveats: exceptions, enforcement, and evolving law

Many state bans contain carve‑outs for on‑duty law enforcement or licensed security and differ on whether concealed‑carry permit holders are exempted; enforcement mechanisms and civil remedies also vary ^{[11] [9]}. Moreover, counts and characterizations in the press and advocacy trackers change as legislatures act and as groups classify statutes differently, so any single tally should be read as a snapshot rather than a definitive national inventory ^{[1] [3]}.

6. Bottom line

There is no uniform federal ban; state laws vary and reporters and policy groups disagree on exact counts because of differing definitions (open vs. concealed, buffers vs. bans, polling places vs. counting sites). Reliable, contemporaneous trackers include Brennan Center, Giffords, Stateline and The Trace, which together identify a core group of states — including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado among them — that explicitly prohibit firearms in at least some voting contexts, with fewer states explicitly naming vote‑counting facilities ^{[7] [1] [9] [2] [5]}.