Democrats on Thursday ratcheted up efforts to combat new voting laws adopted by 13 states that Democrats contend are deliberate efforts to keep its core voting blocs from casting ballots next year. “Election legislation and administration appear to be increasingly the product of partisan plays,” says a letter to election officials in all 50 states signed by 196 Democrats in the House of Representatives. “Election officials are seen as partisan combatants, rather than stewards of democracy. … We are asking you, as front line participants, to put partisan considerations aside and serve as advocates for enfranchisement.”
Thirteen states last year approved changes to their election laws and another 24 states are weighing measures that proponents say are needed to protect against voter fraud and to prevent illegal immigrants from casting ballots. Members of the House Democratic leadership, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus unveiled the letter they’re sending to election officials urging them to oppose new voting measures that a recent study said would adversely impact the ability of more than 5 million people to register or vote.
Supporters of the measures disagree, saying tougher voting laws are needed to protect against rampant voter fraud and to ensure that illegal immigrants aren’t casting ballots. Some of the changes require voters to show government-approved identification cards and to restrict voter registration drives by third-party groups. Two states with Republican governors, Florida and Wisconsin, reversed executive orders that allowed felons who served their time to vote.
Full Article: Congressional Democrats seek to curb tough state voter-screening laws – Politics Wires – MiamiHerald.com.