Most conspicuous have been state efforts like voter ID laws or cutbacks in early voting periods, which critics say disproportionately affect minorities and the poor. The lawsuit is overblown, he suggested, because only a fraction of the targeted voters were ultimately scratched from the rolls. Local jurisdictions in six more redrew districts or changed election rules in ways that diluted minorities’ votes. In Georgia and all or part of 14 other states, the 1965 Voting Rights Act required jurisdictions with histories of voter discrimination to receive so-called preclearance before changing the way voter registration and elections were conducted. found that governments in six former preclearance states have closed registration or polling places, making it harder for minorities to vote.

Source: New York Times July 31, 2016 14:26 UTC