Introduction
A high school student spends their senior year in their government course learning about the ins and outs of our government and the democratic process. After high school, this student is now eligible to participate in their very first national election. They do their due diligence and register to vote before the deadline, and receive the location of their polling station, which is nowhere near their home. It will be a 30-minute drive to this assigned polling station, and that is without traffic. This student shows up to the voting poll, and there is a long line outside the building that stretches for several blocks. After what seems like hours in the scorching heat, the student finally makes it to the building entrance. At the entrance, a poll worker vigorously questions the student on whether they are qualified to vote and have all the proper documentation to prove their voting status. Then the student begins to wonder and second-guess if they are even eligible to vote. Thankfully they were prepared and brought their driver's license, passport, and birth certificate. The student goes into the voting booth and casts their vote, feeling a sense of accomplishment knowing they did their civic duty. That night the student turns on the news to find out the outcome of the election, and it is reported that several thousand votes will be tossed out due to 'irregularities. After all that work and effort, the student's vote may not even count! Unfortunately for most Americans, they do not even make it through this entire voting process. With fewer voting stations, polls, and booths, this causes longer lines, discouraging people from leaving their homes and engaging in the voting process. For those who waited in lines, if their registration did not precisely match the state's database, many were turned away. This does not include the deluge of fake news and propaganda that voters are inundated with before election day that might result in people being turned off to politics and deterring them from voting.
The 2020 Presidential Election dramatically changed the way Americans voted. Amid a global pandemic, it also exposed the underlying crisis of inequity and inequality of American democracy. While we witnessed a 12% increase in voter turnout, there were also increasing galvanizing tactics to suppress voters, particularly voters in a communities of color. The COVID crisis led to a shortage of poll workers and fewer in-person polling stations, leading to long times which discouraged people from voting. Because of the pandemic, more people had access to early voting and absentee voting. However, not everyone is on board with these alternative voting options. With over 300 lawsuits in 44 states concerning how absentee votes are counted and the possibility of the overworked post office not delivering in time, people are skeptical about casting their vote by mail.
There were reports of people waiting for several hours just to cast their ballot during early voting and on voting day in many states. Many Americans have had to travel further distances to reach an in-person polling station with fewer voting polling stations. Even if they made it through all of those obstacles, 35 states have voter I.D. laws requiring voters to show some I.D. In one instance, on October 21, 2020, armed security guards were reported outside a voting poll in St. Petersburg, Florida.1 According to the local media, the armed people reported that Donald Trump's campaign hired them. This amounts to voter intimidation as the sight of armed people might make people feel uncomfortable and frighten voters away from the voting sites.
Since the Presidential Election of 2020, more than twenty laws have been enacted across multiple states that restrict ballot access for many disenfranchised groups, primarily affecting the poor, the working class, immigrants, and people of color.
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