It’s going to get worse before it gets better.
More restrictive bills
Back in February, Brennan Center had reported that there were over 250 bills proposed bills to restrict voting in 43 states, and yesterday, they updated those numbers: We’re now at 361 bills in 47 states.
Five of these bills have been signed into law, like the Georgia law that’s been getting so much coverage. Iowa signed a law to make early voting harder, saying it would help prevent voter fraud, while noting that Iowa hasn’t had any problems with voter fraud. Arkansas passed two bills that “tightens” voter ID rules, and Utah passed a bill that is certain to create faulty voter purges.
55 of those bills are already moving through their respective legislatures, meaning they’ve been heard in committee or have passed in one chamber. You can check the updated list HERE — the first two letters of each bill are your state’s initials, so your state’s bills are easy to find.
What you can do: Be sure to contact your state-level legislators, in your state house and state senate, to tell them you oppose these bills and that you expect them to stop them from advancing and/or vote them down.
Some good news
It is Friday, so let’s look at a few states that have expanded voting rights.
In Virginia, the governor signed 3 bills into law. They establish early voting access on Sundays, 16 and 17 year old teenagers can now pre-register to vote, and they eliminated the need for a witness on absentee ballots during a public health emergency.
Washington and Iowa are edging closer to restoring voting rights for former felons.
New Mexico and Montana are getting close to passing laws to ensure that every Native American reservation has its own polling place.
And in New Jersey, the Democratic legislature has passed two bills — one expands the early voting period, and the other establishes a minimum number of drop boxes each country must have.
I hope you all have a good weekend!
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