Billy Corriher
There’s been a lot of discussion recently about a perceived assault on voting rights. There have been media reports on a campaign by Republicans and their supporters to enact stricter voting laws. Many states have implemented shorter early voting periods, stricter rules for absentee ballots, and tougher registration requirements. Twenty states have considered new voter ID requirements, and others have strengthened existing ID rules. Why are state legislatures suddenly so concerned with voting? Republicans warn of voter fraud, but there has been no evidence of widespread fraud.
Civil rights advocates say these voter ID laws will prevent certain groups from voting, including students and minorities – two groups that heavily favored President Obama in the 2008 election. Rep. John Lewis, a hero of the civil rights movement, warned of “a deliberate and systematic attempt to prevent millions of elderly voters, young voters, students, minority, and low-income voters from exercising their constitutional right to engage in the democratic process.” The Department of Justice (DOJ) is being pressured to stop these laws under the authority granted to it by the Voting Rights Act. [Read more…] about New State Laws Threaten Voting Rights