Voting Rights

Voting, the bedrock act of a democratic political system, has itself become one of the nation's most divisive issues. Republican-controlled states are on track to pass the most laws restricting voting and registration of any year in recent history, arguing that election fraud is a serious problem that needs addressing. Democratic-led states, conversely, are expanding access, particularly to absentee voting. In Congress, Democrats proposed setting nationwide standards for registration, absentee and early voting and the redrawing of congressional districts, but the measure lacked sufficient support to pass the Senate. Studies show that laws designed to either restrict or expand voting have had only minimal effect on turnout. Nevertheless, both parties are using heated rhetoric, accusing the other side of changing rules to permanently entrench itself in power. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump's repeated claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him have led many experts to worry that public faith in the U.S. election system may have been seriously undermined.