Throughout this tumultuous primary season, writer Ari Berman, author of the book Give Us the Ballot, has been keeping a knowledgeable eye on the impact of voting laws old and new. He is vigorously reporting on issues of disenfranchisement at the polling place and investigating the difficulties of registering and voting under a cloud of recent restrictive legislation, keeping all of us aware that what has happened so far could be a harbinger of big trouble ahead as we approach the actual November general election.
We’ve been reprinting Berman’s posts that, when viewed together, state by state, are a window into what’s happening — good and bad — to the voting rights of citizens across the country. In a recent conversation posted on our website in March, he told us that the laws that have recently passed in 22 states worry him. “I’m very concerned we’re moving into becoming a two-tier democracy,” he said, “where if you live in a progressive blue state, you’re going to have much better election laws and if you live in a conservative red state or a GOP-controlled swing state, you’re going to have far worse election laws. …I don’t think it’s fair that just because you live in Texas and not California, you should have such a hard time voting.”
Here’s our collection of Berman’s reports.
Arizona
- There Were Five-Hour Lines to Vote in Arizona Because the Supreme Court Gutted the Voting Rights Act
Reducing the number of polling places in Phoenix had catastrophic consequences in the March 22 primary. (March 23, 2016)
New Hampshire
- New Hampshire’s New Voter-ID Law Could Lead to Longer Lines, Voter Intimidation
The controversial new voting restriction was in full effect for the first time during Tuesday’s presidential primary. (February 9, 2016)
New York
- New York Had the Second Lowest Voter Turnout So Far This Election Season
When you are only beating Louisiana, something is very wrong. (April 21, 2016)
North Carolina
- North Carolina’s Voter ID Law Could Block 218,000 Registered Voters From the Polls
The controversial restriction takes effect for the first time in the March 15 primary. (March 15, 2016) - Meet the 94-Year-Old Civil-Rights Activist Who Is Now Challenging North Carolina’s Voter-ID Law
Can Rosanell Eaton succeed in getting the new voter-ID law blocked before the 2016 election? (January 26, 2016)
Texas
- Voters Were Blocked From the Polls on Super Tuesday by New Restrictions
The 2016 election is the first in 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act, and voters in Texas and Arizona experienced problems. (March 2, 2016)
Wisconsin
- Wisconsin’s Voter-ID Law Could Block 300,000 Registered Voters From the Polls
One of the country’s toughest voting restrictions takes effect for the April 5 primary. (April 4, 2016) - A Black Man Brought 3 Forms of ID to the Polls in Wisconsin. He Still Couldn’t Vote.
Three hundred thousand registered voters in Wisconsin lack a government-issued photo ID, and many have faced great difficulty obtaining one. (April 14, 2016)
