Newsweek: Influx of Voting Bills Will Have Biggest Impact in Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania, Experts Say

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, numerous state bills restricting voting rights have been introduced across the nation. According to a tracker from the Brennan Center for Justice, state lawmakers have carried over, pre-filed or introduced 253 bills with provisions that restrict voting access in 43 states.

But the backlash to what was the highest voter turnout in over a century is not expected to affect all states the same. Voting rights experts say the new legislative proposals will leave their biggest mark on states like Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

“We’re talking purple states, where legislatures feel a little bit of voter suppression can guarantee them an election,” Sylvia Albert, director of the voting and elections program at Common Cause, told Newsweek. “We’re talking states with Republican trifectas for the most part, because while there might be some concern over what’s happening in Michigan, we feel that the Democratic governor would veto bills that would infringe on people’s right to vote.” …

On Monday, Republicans in the Georgia Senate narrowly approved an omnibus voting bill that would end no-excuse absentee voting. Eligibility to vote by mail would be restricted to people who are over 95, are physically disabled, are required to be outside their voting precinct during early voting and Election Day, have a religious holiday that falls on Election Day, work in elections or qualify as a military or overseas absentee voter.

“The challenge that we’re seeing is an overhaul of our election system without critical foresight into what the impact could be,” Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, told Newsweek. “Right now, we see that Republicans are trying to find a solution to a problem that literally does not exist here.” …

But Dennis said the new state bills could be detrimental to voters who cast their ballots for the first time in November. She argued that questioning the legitimacy of Georgia’s elections undermines the votes of its residents.

“People will feel like their voices really just didn’t matter, because even though you came out and voted, people are trying to say that those votes are just really invalid,” she said.

She said the passing of bills that seek to restrict voting access would tell Georgians: “Because of the margins and what the results are, there has to be something wrong. We can’t just have this political shift happening in Georgia and Georgians, who voted, really don’t know what’s best for them.” …

Albert noted that Pennsylvania lawmakers are floating roughly 34 potential bills, but said she’s hopeful that Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, would veto any bills that infringe on voting rights. …

Dennis also urged Congress to combat these rollbacks by passing the For the People Act (H.R. 1) and the Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4), which could supersede the state measures being introduced.

“We desperately need to have federal oversight in our election to make sure that every voter is fairly heard and excellently heard, and that we have as many options to the ballot box with as little hurdles to make sure we have an equitable fair election,” she said. …

H.R. 1 aims to impose national requirements that would weaken restrictive state voter ID laws, mandate automatic voter registration, expand early and mail-in voting, make it harder to purge voter lists and restore voting rights to former felons.

Albert said expanding voting access on a national level is crucial not only to the voters who are likely to be suppressed by state bills but every American who wants their vote to count.

“Even in places where it’s not likely to affect the outcome of the election, [new legislation] is changing the dialogue around voting, changing people’s perception of their right to vote and its changing access,” Albert said.