Current GOP efforts to make it harder to vote: list from 538

[mark46]

.

Cheating should be unconstitutional.

This is my point here. Much of what should be changed is the province of Congress and state legislatures. For the most part, cheating is NOT unconstitutional. Cheating should be illegal. The voting rights legislation needs to be passed. But that isn't enough.

The REASON for all the nonsense at the state level is that not enough voters elect legislators that would serve their interests. YES, there are severe obstacles. But, as happened in GA, these can be overcome. Democrats spend way, way too much time worrying about their national agendas of increased national social programs, and not enough time working to change state legislatures.

The BOTTOM LINE
is that the Trump circus is trying to enact terrible laws. BTW, these laws will pass in very, very Republican states where Democrats rarely are winning now. This legislation is bad policy for the Republicans. This effort will only insure the passage of federal legislation.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Fourteen states have enacted 22 new laws making it harder to vote

These 22 laws in 14 states mark a new record for restrictive voting laws since 2011 [preparing for youknowwho's reelection] when the Brennan Center recorded 19 laws enacted in 14 state legislatures.

Most of the new laws make it harder to vote absentee and by mail, after a record number of Americans voted by mail in November.

The legislative push is part of a national Republican effort to restrict access to the ballot box following record turnout in the 2020 election. Republicans currently control both chambers of 30 state legislatures, including in Texas, Georgia and Arizona.

 

[mark46]

Perhaps Democrats should focus more on winning state and local elections.

Fourteen states have enacted 22 new laws making it harder to vote

These 22 laws in 14 states mark a new record for restrictive voting laws since 2011 [preparing for youknowwho's reelection] when the Brennan Center recorded 19 laws enacted in 14 state legislatures.

Most of the new laws make it harder to vote absentee and by mail, after a record number of Americans voted by mail in November.

The legislative push is part of a national Republican effort to restrict access to the ballot box following record turnout in the 2020 election. Republicans currently control both chambers of 30 state legislatures, including in Texas, Georgia and Arizona.

 

[Brihaha]

Why would any party in a Democratic Republic make it harder to vote?

Because their voters do not mind suppression since it's not them being suppressed. One party's representatives don't seem to be held accountable for their actions. Therefore they are emboldened to exploit said voters. And suppress the other voters.

 

[essentialsaltes]

In Texas and Georgia, polling places are removed from black areas to remote locations far from public transportation.

Plans to close all but one polling place in a rural Georgia county reverberate through a battleground state - CNNPolitics

Election officials in a rural Georgia county are weighing plans to close all but one polling place ahead of this year's elections, alarming local voting and civil rights groups.

But in a community with little reliable public transportation, "the poor and marginalized people won't be able to vote because, bottom line, they won't be able to get to the polls," said the Rev. Christopher Johnson, the head of the Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition -- one of the groups fighting the change.

Wednesday's vote by the Lincoln County elections board has reverberated far beyond this Georgia community of roughly 7,700 northwest of Augusta. The county is one of six in this battleground state that have disbanded or reconfigured their local election boards in the last year, thanks to recently passed bills by the Republican-controlled Georgia General Assembly.

Several Democrats have been tossed off the boards. One reconstituted board eliminated Sunday voting during a recent municipal election -- an option popular among Black churchgoers, a key Democratic constituency.

Moves in Georgia to close polling places -- or make other changes to electoral procedures -- once required advance federal approval under the 1965 Voting Rights Act to ensure they didn't hurt Black and minority voters.

 

[Nithavela]

Moves in Georgia to close polling places -- or make other changes to electoral procedures -- once required advance federal approval under the 1965 Voting Rights Act to ensure they didn't hurt Black and minority voters.

That seems like a silly requirement, considering that this is the entire goal of these changes.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Plans to close all but one polling place in a rural Georgia county reverberate through a battleground state - CNNPolitics

Election officials in a rural Georgia county are weighing plans to close all but one polling place ahead of this year's elections, alarming local voting and civil rights groups.

But in a community with little reliable public transportation, "the poor and marginalized people won't be able to vote because, bottom line, they won't be able to get to the polls," said the Rev. Christopher Johnson, the head of the Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition -- one of the groups fighting the change.

Wednesday's vote by the Lincoln County elections board has reverberated far beyond this Georgia community of roughly 7,700 northwest of Augusta. The county is one of six in this battleground state that have disbanded or reconfigured their local election boards in the last year, thanks to recently passed bills by the Republican-controlled Georgia General Assembly.

Several Democrats have been tossed off the boards. One reconstituted board eliminated Sunday voting during a recent municipal election -- an option popular among Black churchgoers, a key Democratic constituency.

Moves in Georgia to close polling places -- or make other changes to electoral procedures -- once required advance federal approval under the 1965 Voting Rights Act to ensure they didn't hurt Black and minority voters.

Except for one precinct, Lincoln County went pretty heavily for Trump in 2020. If they want to disenfranchise their own voters, who are we to stand in their way?

 

[mark46]

There are 2 federal interests: the sanctity of the vote counts, and discrimination against minorities. Most of the rest are state concerns. If GA wants to make hard for ALL voters in a rural county, then the feds have little to say.

Even the Republicans will support vote count legislation (they are proposing it). Here the state legislature cannot change the vote of the electors. Of course, these rules only apply to federal elections (house, senate, pres and vp).

The courts must deal with discrimination. For example, reducing absentee ballots will not be barred by the courts. Ditto for limiting the number of days of voting before Election Day.

Plans to close all but one polling place in a rural Georgia county reverberate through a battleground state - CNNPolitics

Election officials in a rural Georgia county are weighing plans to close all but one polling place ahead of this year's elections, alarming local voting and civil rights groups.

But in a community with little reliable public transportation, "the poor and marginalized people won't be able to vote because, bottom line, they won't be able to get to the polls," said the Rev. Christopher Johnson, the head of the Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition -- one of the groups fighting the change.

Wednesday's vote by the Lincoln County elections board has reverberated far beyond this Georgia community of roughly 7,700 northwest of Augusta. The county is one of six in this battleground state that have disbanded or reconfigured their local election boards in the last year, thanks to recently passed bills by the Republican-controlled Georgia General Assembly.

Several Democrats have been tossed off the boards. One reconstituted board eliminated Sunday voting during a recent municipal election -- an option popular among Black churchgoers, a key Democratic constituency.

Moves in Georgia to close polling places -- or make other changes to electoral procedures -- once required advance federal approval under the 1965 Voting Rights Act to ensure they didn't hurt Black and minority voters.

 

[Eight Foot Manchild]

Why would any party in a Democratic Republic make it harder to vote?

They have to, in order to remain politically relevant. Without voter suppression, gerrymandering, and Republican affirmative action - aka, the electoral college - they would never win anything significant. And they know it as well as I do.

 

[KCfromNC]

They have to, in order to remain politically relevant. Without voter suppression, gerrymandering, and Republican affirmative action - aka, the electoral college - they would never win anything significant. And they know it as well as I do.

Maybe instead they could govern in a way that's not offensive to the majority of voters? Just an idea.

 

[Eight Foot Manchild]

Maybe instead they could govern in a way that's not offensive to the majority of voters? Just an idea.

What? You mean adapt to the wants and needs of the free market of ideas? Don't be ridiculous.

It's much easier to make it harder to vote, and/or unequally weigh the votes they get. More fun, too.

 

[Brihaha]

Maybe instead they could govern in a way that's not offensive to the majority of voters? Just an idea.

Why would republican politicians work hard when voters never hold them accountable at the ballot box? Their voters do not care about the entire country. They merely seem to care about retaining power. Anger and fear are still their motivations for voting for the R. And politicians understand that completely!

 

[cow451]

Maybe instead they could govern in a way that's not offensive to the majority of voters? Just an idea.

Are you nuts? That’s a crazy idea! Govern like they were representing all the citizens….. what planet do you vote on?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Fourteen states have enacted 22 new laws making it harder to vote [in 2021]

These 22 laws in 14 states mark a new record for restrictive voting laws since 2011 when the Brennan Center recorded 19 laws enacted in 14 state legislatures.
The legislative push is part of a national Republican effort to restrict access to the ballot box following record turnout in the 2020 election. Republicans currently control both chambers of 30 state legislatures, including in Texas, Georgia and Arizona.

Republicans push for stricter election laws, despite scant proof of fraud​

A new wave of state legislation aimed at tightening election security shows that the issue still animates the GOP​

As of late February, state lawmakers had introduced what Brennan identified as 150 restrictive election bills and another 27 election interference bills, meaning laws that would increase the opportunity for partisan involvement in electoral outcomes.
Many of these measures have little chance of passing, either because Republicans don’t hold the legislative majority or because a Democratic governor stands in the way with a veto pen. But a few key proposals have a chance of being approved, including the North Carolina voter ID law that would encompass both in-person and mail voting, a Texas measure to create marshals to investigate election fraud and a proposal in Missouri that would allow citizens to initiate election reviews.

In particular, conservative groups this year are pressing state legislatures to ban private funding of elections [24 states have already done so]. The push began after the 2020 vote, when Trump and his allies seized on the distribution of more than $300 million in grants to election agencies by the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), a nonpartisan, nonprofit group funded primarily by donations from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan.
State and local election officials say additional funding is still needed, and they criticize public officials who decry private grants yet don’t support increased public funding.
“We hear from local election administrators every day about how important resources are, and that call for support has only gotten louder after Congress slashed funding for state and local election departments from $400 million to $75 million during the last budget,” said Tiana Epps-Johnson, CTCL’s executive director.

Among the proposals with less chance of passing this year is a bill in Arizona that would require all ballots to be hand-counted within 24 hours of an election — a physical and technical impossibility, by the account of many experts. In Virginia, draft legislation that would have allowed a panel of citizens to void an election result following a post-election “forensic” audit never made it out of committee.

 

[Fantine]

If a candidate doesn't believe in democracy (s)he doesn't get my vote.

That rules out the Republicans.

 

[essentialsaltes]

The GOP Is Making It Harder for College Students to Vote​

• Young voters are increasingly turning out to support Democrats
• GOP lawmakers seek to restrict use of student IDs to vote

Idaho forbids college ID as proof of residence. Ohio removes tuition or college housing receipts as proof of residence. 11 other states are planning similar legislation. Texas is considering a law to ban college campuses as polling places.

I guess this is easier that having a platform that appeals to younger voters.

 

[Yttrium]

The GOP Is Making It Harder for College Students to Vote​

• Young voters are increasingly turning out to support Democrats
• GOP lawmakers seek to restrict use of student IDs to vote

Idaho forbids college ID as proof of residence. Ohio removes tuition or college housing receipts as proof of residence. 11 other states are planning similar legislation. Texas is considering a law to ban college campuses as polling places.

I guess this is easier that having a platform that appeals to younger voters.

It's not like this could come back to haunt Republicans in the future...

 

[essentialsaltes]

It's not like this could come back to haunt Republicans in the future...

It will be interesting to see. Since demographics are against them, they've chosen to tilt the balance as much as possible to stave off the inevitable (rather than make some other structural change in themselves). Suppose it amounts to a 5% swing in their favor. When demographics finally gets to '50/50' and Republicans lose their hold on these states, undoing these undemocratic measures will immediately shift the state to 55/45 against them.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Kansas election law ruled unconstitutional as federal judge sides with voter advocates​

A federal judge struck down portions of a controversial Kansas election law on Thursday, ruling them unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil struck down provisions in statute KSA 25-1122 banning out-of-state entities from mailing advance ballot applications and prohibiting the applications from containing any pre-filled information.

 

[Yttrium]

Kansas election law ruled unconstitutional as federal judge sides with voter advocates​

A federal judge struck down portions of a controversial Kansas election law on Thursday, ruling them unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil struck down provisions in statute KSA 25-1122 banning out-of-state entities from mailing advance ballot applications and prohibiting the applications from containing any pre-filled information.

Good.

Kansas Republicans seem to be hostile to the US military for some reason.