The 2020 U.S. elections had the highest turnout in more than a century, despite the devastating pandemic and the efforts of the then president Donald Trump and his allies for undermining confidence in the voting system.
Despite the large turnout, it was declared the safest choice in the history of USA. Yet several states have spent months taking advantage of Trump’s false claims that it was a stolen election to introduce restrictive laws that opponents say go against voting rights.
The restrictions have alarmed civil rights activists and prompted the president Joe Biden to issue a special request on Wednesday, just as senators voted against debating the issue.
“The United States Senate must act to protect the sacred constitutional right to vote, which is being relentlessly attacked by advocates of the ‘Big Lie’ and Republican governors, secretaries of state, attorneys general and state legislatures across the country” he asked in a statement.
“It is urgent. Democracy, the very soul of the United States, is at stake. “
In Georgia, people who deliver drinks or snacks to voters waiting in line can now be criminally charged. In Iowa and Kansas, those who return defective ballots on behalf of voters with disabilities risk prosecution.
Texas has banned car voting and 24-hour voting, as well as the promotion of vote-by-mail by election officials. Similar laws in more than a dozen other states make life difficult for voters, activists claim.
“These state laws are often aimed at harming historically underrepresented communities, including communities of color, as well as low-income voters and people with disabilities,” estimates the Center for American Progress.
Radical reforms
More than 425 bills with provisions restricting voting access have been introduced in 49 states in the 2021 legislative sessions, according to the liberal-leaning Brennon Justice Center.
As of early October, at least 19 states had signed 33 laws restricting voting, the organization reported.
Senate Democrats sought to launch a debate Wednesday on the Freedom of Voting Act, a comprehensive package of voting reforms. But all 50 Republicans opposed it, meaning the bill was buried.
“Make no mistake,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned after the vote. “The Republican blockade of the Senate today is an implicit endorsement of the horrible new voter suppression and electoral subversion laws, pushed in conservative states across the country.”
Republican leaders in Congress argue that while the last election may not have been stolen, the new laws include standard measures in many countries, such as presenting a photo ID.
Democrats argue that (fraud) doesn’t happen. Well, it doesn’t happen very often because states do have tools like asking for a photo ID, removing dead people from the rolls, ”said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“These are normal administrative provisions that our Democratic friends would like to get rid of.”
The proposed legislation primarily sought to reduce the influence of money in politics, end partisan manipulation, and strengthen elections against foreign interference.
However, he did not have the necessary 60 votes.
Trump’s “big lie.”
Elections in the United States are run locally, and Republicans tend to see federal overreach in Washington, if states are told how to run their own ballots.
Yet Trump has been doing just that for more than a year.
Even before Joe Biden defeated him, and without a shred of evidence, the Republican has engaged in a crusade to convince millions of Americans that the 2020 election was rigged.
By pressuring election officials in various states to invalidate the results, Trump spread conspiracy theories in an attempt to fuel a fiery fury over his electoral defeat that culminated in the January 6 insurrection.
Biden was duly installed as the 46th president, but Trump’s so-called “Big Lie” ultimately worked.
Even after thousands of his supporters stormed the United States Capitol, assaulting police and threatening death, 147 Republicans voted on the same lines as the insurgents about repealing the elections in some states.
And a YouGov poll in August found that two-thirds of Republicans believe the last election was stolen from Trump, while 75% believe democracy is under attack.
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Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
