“7 stories to know” is a new Monday series showcasing stories that may have been ignored in the crush of news over the past few weeks, and stories that have continued to evolve over the weekend. Expect to read coverage about health, science, and climate that frequently take second chair to what’s happening at the top of the page, plus information from local sources that the national media may have overlooked.
1. Republicans are making it harder and harder to register new voters
While new voters or voters who have recently moved to a new location can register at any time, there are usually big drives to get people registered ahead of each election. Both parties make an outreach to new voters, but with Democrats holding a 28-point margin among the youngest group of voters, it’s understandable that registration drives tend to be slightly more exciting on the left than on the right.
However, as NPR reports, in this election cycle groups trying to register those new voters are facing a frightening set of obstacles. If Republicans can’t find new voters, they want to make sure no one can.
Since the 2020 election, at least six states have passed legislation cracking down on voter registration drives. Many groups view the laws—enacted by Republicans in Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana and Tennessee—as an existential threat to their work, and several have shut down operations rather than risk financial penalties or prison time.
To justify these new rules, Republicans have been spreading unfounded claims about Democrats attempting to register undocumented immigrants. Claims about noncitizen voting have reached the U.S. House in the form of unfounded fears spread by Speaker Mike Johnson, and they’ve been blasted around social media with the help of Elon Musk.
Backed by these ridiculous, racist, and self-serving claims, Republicans have drafted new limits on voter registration that are truly draconian. In Kansas, if a potential voter mistakes someone offering to register them to vote for an election official, that person can be charged with a felony.
“If you're [convicted of] a felony, you lose your right to vote. So you could lose your right to vote for registering voters," Davis Hammet of the group Loud Light said.
In Florida, legislators bumped the maximum fine for making a mistake during voter registration from $1,000 to $50,000. Then they bumped it again to $250,000, while imposing additional restrictions on how organizations can register voters. It was enough to force even long-established groups like the League of Women Voters of Florida to hang up their registration clipboards.
More new voters means more new Democrats. Republicans know that. So they’re throwing up all the obstacles they can and justifying them with a smokescreen of fear.
All of which makes 2024 more difficult. And more important.
Read More