US (Washington Insider Magazine) – Restrictive voting may become a reality thanks to more stringent voting laws being introduced by Republican lawmakers.
Currently, there have been 96 bills in the works that would affect the 2022 voting season, largely purported by the Republican party. This analysis comes from the Brennan Center at NYU School of Law, which has noted that this level has presented a significant uptick in bills in progress from this time last year.
Midterm election season could be quite tense with the inclusion of these new laws, as both Republican and Democrat legislators continue to spar over fair and integral voting laws, and what that would look like for each party.
The pre-existing laws were called into question by President Trump and fellow conservative party-members during the 2020 election season, after several instances of “midnight vote sprees” and other accused-suspect behavior on behalf of the opposing presidential candidate, Joe Biden.
While the 2020 election is still undergoing vigorous investigation from state and federal officials, the current law changes were largely fueled by the events of the following insurrection on January 6th, 2021.
Currently, both mail-in voting procedures and in-person voting procedures could undergo some serious changes if the bills in the works continue to be passed and signed into law.
More than half of the drafted bills target mail-in voting, which has continued to be a hot-button issue since the events of the 2020 election. This is becoming more of a concern, especially as undocumented immigrants continue to push through the border at rising rates.
There is concern from the Republican party that this could otherwise skew the vote results due to illegal voting procedures, and based on prior instances of voter fraud that have taken place. For example, there are documented cases on record of dead individuals “voting” for a wanted party member illegally, as fraudsters took the decedent’s Social Security number and personal information, voting on their behalf.
Currently, one of the most discussed topics around mail-in voting systems would be the need to implement voter ID verification requirements at both in-person voting and registration practices throughout the country.
Virginia continues to be very vocal on the subject and has continued to lead the charge with over 30 bills in the works since January. They have continued to be dynamic when it comes to voter law, and have vocalized the need to expand the right to vote for those who may not have it legally given to them — such as in the case of felons. This was the idea voiced by Gov. Ralph Northam during his time in office, a notable democrat.
Other states are creating bills that could overturn the currently standing electoral process, giving the state legislature the power to reject election results. This comes from the concern that there are no fair voting tabulation practices in place, largely due to the ire and confusion that surrounded the 2020 presidential election.
We hope to see a peaceful resolution come forth that would suit both the needs of the state and its constituents.
