Introduction
During the 2012 presidential campaign, demonstrators in Philadelphia protest a controversial law pushed through the legislature by Republicans requiring Pennsylvania voters to show a photo ID. The law, one of more than 20 state voter-ID measures passed since 2005, has been blocked by a court challenge, now awaiting an appeal. Similar laws are being challenged in at least four other states; several others are considering tightening voter-identification procedures. (Getty Images/MCT/William Thomas Cain)
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Election laws and voting procedures have been a major source of controversy in the United States ever since the stunted recount in Florida that determined the outcome of the 2000 presidential contest. Republicans and Democrats have clashed fiercely in state after state over GOP-backed proposals to require government-approved photo IDs for voters to cast ballots. Republicans say the laws prevent fraud; Democrats say the laws are aimed at vote suppression. Court rulings on the laws are mixed. The Supreme Court added to the controversies with a decision in June to disable a major provision of the federal Voting Rights Act that required some states and localities with a history of discrimination to obtain permission from the government before instituting any change in voting procedures. A bill to restore the provision has been introduced in Congress, but no hearings have been scheduled yet. Election officials are also looking at recommendations from a presidential commission for online registration, more early voting and costly replacement of technologically obsolescent voting machinery.
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Jun. 25, 2021 |
Voting Rights |
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Oct. 02, 2015 |
Young Voters |
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Feb. 21, 2014 |
Voting Controversies |
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May 18, 2012 |
Voter Rights |
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Sep. 15, 2006 |
Voting Controversies |
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Oct. 29, 2004 |
Voting Rights |
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Feb. 28, 1975 |
Minority Voting Rights |
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Apr. 18, 1962 |
Protection of Voting Rights |
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Mar. 19, 1958 |
Right to Vote |
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Feb. 24, 1954 |
Eighteen-Year-Old and Soldier Voting |
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Sep. 13, 1932 |
The Solid South and Political Sectionalism |
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Jun. 18, 1928 |
Voting and Non-Voting in Elections |
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