Voter Suppression Is On the Rise—Here’s What You Need to Know Before the Election.
What’s Happening?
The upcoming U.S. elections face significant changes and challenges due to new voting laws in 29 states that impose restrictions, while 41 states and Washington, D.C., have expanded access. These changes will create unprecedented voting conditions, making it harder for some voters while easing the process for others. Key issues include gerrymandering, election deniers disrupting the certification process, and specific restrictions such as challenging voter eligibility, removing QR codes from ballots, reducing ballot drop boxes, and prohibiting food and water distribution to voters in line.
Additionally, Project 2025 aims to undermine voting rights by targeting election officials. Advocates of these measures argue they are necessary for election integrity, though critics highlight the lack of evidence for widespread voter fraud.
Why it matters:
This election will decide abortion access, healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, prison reform, and so much more. Every vote is essential, but voter suppression is targeting the most vulnerable. This isn’t just about a candidate—it’s about protecting our communities and our futures.
By State:
→ Texas: In 2021, Texas enacted restrictive voting laws, closing the most polling sites in the nation, mainly in areas with growing Black and Latinx populations. Voters have faced last-minute polling site closures and long wait times. Texas, as part of routine updates required by law, has removed over a million voters from its rolls since the last presidential election—a process Republican Gov. Greg Abbott touted as part of his 2021 election integrity laws.
→ Kentucky: In 2020, The Kentucky Exposition Center was the only polling place available in Jefferson County, which includes Louisville, for the 2020 primary election, serving approximately 600,000 registered voters, leading to long lines and potential disenfranchisement. The state has also implemented strict voter ID laws and has a history of felony disenfranchisement, though recent efforts have been made to restore voting rights to some former felons.
→ North Carolina: Republican lawmakers used racial data to enact voting restrictions that disproportionately affected African American voters, including cuts to early voting. The state has implemented strict voter ID laws, which have been challenged in court for their potential discriminatory impact. North Carolina’s State Board of Elections has removed 747,000 people from its list of registered voters within the last 20 months. The purge comes just a few weeks after North Carolina Republicans filed a lawsuit alleging the state's failure to address complaints about ineligible voters on the rolls.
→ Florida: As of 2016, the disenfranchisement of Black adults due to felony convictions has been a considerable issue, with roughly one in five Black adults being ineligible to vote. Additionally, the state has implemented new voting laws that critics argue make it more difficult to vote, particularly for minority communities. There have been ongoing debates about the restoration of voting rights for former felons.
→ Wisconsin: During the 2020 primary, voters encountered long lines and lengthy waits in cold weather. Wisconsin enacted a strict voter ID law requiring specific photo identification, which faces legal challenges and disproportionately affects Black and Latino voters, who are twice as likely to lack the necessary ID compared to white voters. Additionally, a Wisconsin judge removed 234,000 voters from the statewide rolls in 2019, raising concerns about voter suppression, particularly because it disproportionately affected areas with high populations of students and African Americans.
Sources: Reuters, Brennan Center for Justice, The Guardian, Washington Post, CNN
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION:
→ Have a voter plan and register to vote. If you are in the U.S., text ‘FEMINIST’ to 56005.
→ Vote early—Early voting is now available.
