Bloomberg: Voting Rights Battles Move to States After Supreme Court Ruling

A Supreme Court decision weakening protections for ballot access under the Voting Rights Act is likely to result in a series of heated state-by-state fights over how elections are conducted.

The 6-3 ruling from the court’s conservative majority comes as Republican opposition in the Senate has blocked two Democratic proposals that would set national standards on voting and re-empower federal review of restrictions.

That means most of the coming action on voting rights will play out in legislatures, state courts and even corporate boardrooms, as executives become increasingly outspoken against proposed restrictions. In some states, the battles may move to the polling place itself, as advocates put ballot measures before voters.

Already this year, Republican state lawmakers have passed dozens of new restrictions, shortening deadlines, adding voter identification requirements and making it harder to vote by mail, even as their Democratic counterparts have moved to automatically register voters, expand voting by mail and allow felons to vote after they leave prison.

Voting rights advocates describe something like a game of Whac-A-Mole, where new restrictions will pop up unexpectedly as they counter with lawsuits and voter outreach.

“I think we’re going to see a pitched battle at the state level,” said Stephen Spaulding, senior counsel for policy at Common Cause, a public-interest advocacy group. “This sends a signal and emboldens those who would like to make it harder to vote.”