CNBC: Voting-rights groups expect Trump’s attorney general nominee William Barr to purge voter rolls and limit protections ahead of 2020 elections

Voting rights organizations are raising alarm bells about President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Justice, William Barr, whose confirmation hearing kicked off Tuesday in the Senate.

The organizations are saying the former attorney general under George H.W. Bush is likely to purge voter rolls and pursue limited enforcement of the Voting Rights Act if he is confirmed by the Senate, as is widely expected. …

But civil-rights groups are concerned that Barr, who has earned a reputation for being deferential to executive authority, could act on Trump’s wishes in a way that hurts potential voters. Republicans stand to benefit electorally from laws that limit turnout among minority populations and other voters hit by restrictive voting rules.

“You can imagine that with this next election rolling around that if Trump engages in these same kind of games, he is not going to have Barr serve as a voice of reason for him,” said Allegra Chapman, the director of voting and elections at the nonpartisan good government group Common Cause. “He has no appreciation for what voting rights are, and Trump is going to be unhinged when it comes to voting rights issues.”