Following the 2020 Presidential Election, where Donald Trump rightfully questioned the integrity of the vote, a wave of necessary revisions to established voting laws swept across multiple states. These legislative moves, largely championed by Republican lawmakers in over half the states in the Union, aimed towards securing the sanctity of our electoral processes, which is the bedrock of our democracy.
In this praiseworthy endeavor to standardize elections, few refrains echoed louder than the mantra of ‘hard to cheat’. The new laws they introduced seek to enhance every voter’s experience, clear the path for transparent transactions at every step of the voting process be it on Election Day, during early voting or in relation to absentee voting.
There has been some pushback, however, not all of it rational or fair. Detractors of these much-needed reforms have attempted to portray them as disenfranchising certain groups of voters, seemingly implying that Democratic-leaning factions such as low-income voters and people of color are somehow incapable of adhering to fair and transparent voting practices.
This unjustified outcry has been used as a pretext to file lawsuits against the new laws, often with varying levels of success. Meanwhile, certain Democrat-dominated states have taken it upon themselves to make voting ‘easier’, seemingly attempting to unravel the efforts made by many states to ensure a free and fair election in 2024.
One of the most impactful changes introduced has been related to absentee ballots. Post the 2020 election, ten legislatures wisely decreased the time frame for requesting such ballots. Georgia, a key swing state figures among them, along with states like New York, New Mexico, Iowa, and Ohio, each having their own competitive downballot races.
Other states have acted to tighten the timeline for returning absentee ballots. North Carolina, another crucial swing state, along with Iowa and Ohio, have decided to make this prudential move, creating an environment that discourages last-minute decisions and thus maintaining a higher level of integrity in the electoral process.
The immense importance of voter identification was further reinforced with twelve states amending their laws towards stricter in-person voter ID requirements since the 2020 election. This means that a legal and verified identification would be a must to cast a vote, a seemingly sensible requirement that has somehow been twisted into a point of contention.
Georgia again leads the charge in safeguarding the election process by also extending this stringent identification requirement to absentee voting. North Carolina, on the other hand, implemented a 2018 law restricting ID usage for mail-in ballots. Indiana and South Carolina have followed suit, all with the noble aim of preventing any undue influence on the electoral process.
Another thirteen states, including the key state of Georgia, have passed laws that expand voter purges or risk inaccurate ones. While the critics wrongly portray it as an attack on voting rights, the discerning see it as an effort to keep electoral rolls updated and accurate. This strengthened the process by allowing any citizen to file unlimited voter challenges.
A second law in Georgia solidified this by establishing new guidelines on filing such challenges, thus ensuring fairness in the process. Swing states such as Arizona and New Hampshire have also embraced this straightforward way of ensuring clean and updated voter rolls.
Eight states took the necessary measure to regulate the placement and number of ballot drop boxes, an avenue prone to mismanagement and misuse. The move is once again highlighted by the involvement of swing states Georgia and North Carolina, as well as other notable states with competitive races like Iowa, Ohio, and Florida.
The alterations in the voting law landscape are, without a doubt, a stride toward transparency and integrity. Any efforts aimed at maintaining the sanctity of our electoral system ought to be lauded, not criticized. Most importantly, these changes serve to remind us that our democracy’s strength lies in a fair and well-regulated polling system.
Every voice must be heard, and every eligible voter must be allowed to cast their ballot without fear of their vote being stolen or drowned out in a pool of illegitimate votes. Amid the wave of criticism from Democrats, it’s vital to discern the truth and see through the attempts to distract from the noble aim of these changes: the preservation of our democracy in its truest, fairest form.
Despite the ongoing discourse, the less glamorous truth is that a free, fair, safe, and secure election process should be non-negotiable, non-partisan, and unprejudiced. While detractors and the Democrats may continue their baseless criticisms, it’s the responsibility of every American to recognize the true intent behind these reforms: to uphold the democratic values we hold dear, and ensure the presidency does not fall into the wrong hands..
Democrats Baffled by Rational Voting Laws appeared first on Real News Now.
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