The Institute for Free Speech is pleased to present the Free Speech Index: Grading the 50 States on the Freedom To Speak About Government. It is a first-of-its-kind analysis of laws restricting speech about government in all 50 states. This Index is the most comprehensive examination of state laws governing and regulating political engagement ever published.

The Free Speech Index rates each state on how well it supports the free speech and association rights of individuals and groups interested in speaking about candidates, issues of public policy, and their government.

To assess each state’s performance, we ranked the states in ten categories, each of which examine a different area of state law burdening speakers and groups. Below are the overall scores for each state.

To read the report and see more about how your state has done, click here. To read the full report, click here.