 ahead of polling to make it easier and safer for people to vote.This contributed to record turnout levels as Joe Biden won the presidency. Since then, many states have made these voting changes permanent.But some backers of former President Donald Trump falsely claim that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election which, they say, contributed to President Biden's victory. Since 2020, lawmakers have proposed hundreds of voting restriction bills, and dozens have passed into law, including measures:Limiting mail-in (postal) votingExpanding voter ID requirementsReducing the number of voting locationsShortening voting timesRemoving inactive voters from voter rollsIncreasing voter supervision20 US states have passed laws that restrict voting, according to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice.More voting restrictions were introduced in 2021 across the US than in any year since the Brennan Center for Justice began its monitoring a decade ago.And the trend has continued this year in the build up to the midterm elections on 8 November."Over the past two years, we have seen a divide develop and deepen across the country. While many states have enacted laws to expand ballot access, others have made it more difficult to vote," says Liz Avore, a voting policy expert. Some of the most wide-ranging voting restrictions have been in the Republican-controlled states of Texas, Georgia, Iowa and Florida.These include a law in Texas under which election officials can face up to two){kind=link}
Since the 2020 US presidential election, new voting restrictions have been introduced in many states across the country.
Proponents of the changes, enacted largely in Republican-run states, say they’re necessary to prevent fraud at the polls.
But Democrats say they make it harder for voters to cast their ballots, disenfranchising poorer, marginalised communities.
The 2020 election was held during the Covid pandemic, and voting rules were temporarily relaxed (expanded) ahead of polling to make it easier and safer for people to vote.
This contributed to record turnout levels. Since then, many states have made these voting changes permanent.