Thread by @postcards4USA

19 states have enacted 33 laws that will make it harder for Americans to vote.
AL AR AZ FL GA IA ID IN KS KY LA MT NH NV NY OK TX UT WY
We NEED the #FreedomToVoteAct to #SaveDemocracy
#PassFTVA

I did a THREAD of those laws, State-by-State, with Postcards.
#PostcardsforAmerica

ALABAMA. Banned Curbside voting, shortened time to apply for a mail-in ballot & threatens felony prosecution to local officials who supply ballot without a request
And, Secretary of State & 3 probate judges (who require no formal training) will conduct audit after 2022 election.

ARIZONA
Shifted election litigation control from Secretary of State (currently a DEM) to AG (currently GOP).
Another threatens local officials w/ felony for providing mail ballots to voters unless they request.
Also made it harder to stay on PEVL (Permanent Early Voting List)

ARKANSAS #VotingRights
Arkansas State Legislature shortened the window to apply for or return a mail ballot, restricted assistance in returning mail ballots, imposed harsher voter ID requirements and limited early voting.

#PassFTVA #FreedomToVoteAct Now!

FLORIDA Election Officials must now supervise Drop Boxes IN PERSON. ($25,000 penalty)
Florida State Legislature also limited who can hand out food/water to voters, made it harder to stay on absentee voting lists, imposed harsher ID requirements, and restricted mail in ballots.

GEORGIA now allows State Legislature to appoint the chair of State Election Board and to remove & replace local election administrators.
It also allows partisan actors to make unlimited challenges to voter qualifications.
Georgia also banned snacks and water to voters in line.

IDAHO now requires that a voter’s signature on her absentee ballot exactly match the signature from registration. And, when voters request one type of absentee ballot for a primary, they can only request the issuance of a new ballot of the same type they originally requested.

INDIANA standardized election procedures, in part,
by restricting Drop Boxes to the “physical control and supervision of the county election board" which will make it harder to have them.
(*On the other hand, Indiana made it easier to Vote By Mail.)

IOWA increased Secretary of State’s oversight of election officials 60 days before & after elections. Election officials now threatened w/ felony & $10K fine imposed by Sec of State for “failing to perform election duties” &/or "technical infractions" - suspended if can't pay.

KANSAS made it a felony offense to impersonate an election official but with vague standard that criminalizes engaging in conduct that SEEMS like something an election official would do.
In reaction, League of Women Voters (& others) have said they must stop registering voters.

KENTUCKY STATE LEGISLATURE:
*Shortened the window to apply for a mail ballot
*Restricted assistance in returning a voter’s mail ballot
*Expanded voter purges or risk faulty voter purges

We need the #FreedomToVoteAct #PassFTVA

LOUISIANA
Louisiana State Legislature (GOP) is somewhat stymied because Louisiana has a Democratic Governor who will not sign any bills that make it harder to vote. But, PARISHES (see Iberia) are busy making it harder for black & brown voters by closing nearby polling stations.

MONTANA eliminated Election Day voter registration & limited polling place hours.
GOP state lawmakers prioritized limiting ballot collecting this year, after similar 2018 initiative was struck down by a judge who said it disproportionately burdened older, poor & Indigenous voters

NEVADA
The Nevada Legislature unanimously agreed to increase the potential maximum size of a precinct from 3,000 voters to 5,000. County officials can keep smaller precincts as appropriate.
Brennan Center logged this as a restrictive voting law since there is the potential.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire State Legislature also TRIED to restrict student voting. With more students per capita than any other state (fully 12% of the state's overall population are university students), their votes matter. They were ultimately unsuccessful in that endeavor.

NEW YORK rejected an initiative that would have expanded voting access.
GOP campaigned hard against it, Dems didn't campaign. Perhaps assuming it would pass in a blue state. (Apparently forgetting that, until 2018 midterms, the State Legislature was effectively GOP controlled.)

OKLAHOMA shortened the window to apply for a mail in ballot.
Oklahoma State Legislature also passed a resolution effectively against the #FreedomToVoteAct
#PassFTVA

TEXAS. Ah, Texas.
Among other things, Texas State Legislature voted to, in effect, allow harassment at polling stations. Prohibited local officials from modifying election procedures to better serve voters. Made it criminal for them to send non-requested mail-in ballots.
And more

UTAH State Legislature now required local election officials to check voter names against other official sources that have no structure for identifying voters. This has led to tens of thousands of people at risk of being disenfranchised, many of them poor and people of color.

WYOMING now requires voters to provide ID when they go to cast a ballot.
Wyoming GOP also tried to approve a primary runoff election system that allows the 2 top vote-getters to square off to try keep Rep. Liz Cheney from winning a crowded primary race by splitting the vote.

Note that some States Legislatures are still in session and others have called special sessions - most of those for redistributing.
Potential #Gerrymandering