States Looking to Expand Ballot Access More Often Than Restrict It in 2013
Despite a widespread pattern of state legislatures attacking the voting rights of Americans, the Brennan Center for Justice shows, in a new report , that states have actually been much more likely in 2013 to seek to expand voting rights than to limit them.
So far in 2013, 45 state legislatures introduced 195 bills to expand voting rights. Of those bills, 155 in 37 states are still pending. So far, three states have passed laws to create online voter registration (Virginia), to make registration at state departments of motor vehicles easier (New Mexico), or to loosen voter identification rules (Oklahoma).
On the other hand, 31 state legislatures have introduced at least 80 bills to restrict voting rights. Of those bills, 62 in 25 states are still pending. So far, Arkansas has passed a new voter identification law and Virginia has restricted voter registration efforts by groups like the League of Women Voters.
