According to the AP, Republican lawmakers in major states won by President-elect Biden vowed to crack down on electoral reforms implemented amid the coronavirus pandemic that facilitated Americans’ voting.
Why it’s important: Popular reforms contributed to this year’s record turnout and did not produce widespread fraud, President Trump and his supporters claimed, according to the Justice Department.
Context: Attorney General Bill Barr told AP in early December that the department found no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
The big picture:
- Georgia: Republicans in Georgia, which Biden narrowly won, proposed demanding photo identification when voting was absent, banning deployment boxes, and demanding an excuse to vote by mail.
- The two runoffs by the U.S. Senate in Georgia in January will take place under current legislation.
- Pennsylvania: Republicans, who have a majority in both Pennsylvania legislatures, are discussing reforming a law that would extend postal voting to all registered voters instead of demanding an excuse to receive a ballot by mail.
- Michigan: Republican lawmakers held a hearing in which Trump’s lawyers unfoundedly alleged widespread voting irregularities, and the Democratic secretary of state warned they could lead to new voting rules.
Note: Instead, some Republican states are trying to facilitate the vote of Americans.
- In Ohio, Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose told AP he hopes to expand early voting seats and add an online option to apply for absentee ballots.
In depth: Georgia’s first ballots for Senate seats begin with strong turnout