Since 2020, there’s been a lot of fuss about who gets to vote and how. Some states have made it harder to vote by mail or to help others cast their ballots. They’re also tightening up on voter ID laws. And because some folks are still hung up on the idea that the last election was stolen, they’re getting pickier about who stays on the voter rolls.
Take Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama, for example. They’ve all passed new laws since the last election, putting limits on what they call “ballot harvesting.” That’s just a fancy way of saying you can’t collect other people’s mail-in ballots and turn them in for them. This is common during elections when groups try to get out the vote.
These new laws are making it harder for people to help each other out with voting. They’re putting restrictions on who can watch you sign your ballot, how many ballots one person can watch, and who can turn in those ballots for you. Civil rights groups are worried that this will make it harder for people who need help to cast their votes.
Down in Louisiana, the Secretary of State, Nancy Landry, is pushing for even more rules to stop what she calls “ballot harvesting.” She wants to make it illegal for anyone to help with more than one absentee ballot unless they’re immediate family. And if you think that’s strict, Louisiana is ranked pretty high for its tough voting rules.
Alabama’s Governor, Kay Ivey, signed a law in March that makes it a crime to hand in someone else’s absentee ballot or to give or receive money for collecting others’ ballots. She says it’s all about keeping elections clean.
But civil rights groups aren’t happy. They say these laws are targeting folks who might need a hand with voting, like people of color, the disabled, seniors, and even folks in jail.
Over in Georgia, they’ve made it harder to vote by mail too. Instead of just signing your ballot, now you need to include your driver’s license number, part of your Social Security number, or a copy of your photo ID. It’s all part of a big law they passed in 2021 that’s got a lot of people worried about voter suppression.
It’s not just the South either. States like North Carolina and Arkansas have tightened up their voter ID laws too. And it’s not just about voting in person anymore. You need ID for mail-in ballots too.
So what does this all mean? Well, for one, it’s making it harder for some people to vote. And that’s got folks worried, especially when it seems like the rules keep changing and getting stricter. But no matter what, people are going to keep fighting for their right to vote, because every vote counts, and we can’t afford to let anyone be left out.
