Emboldened by a right-wing shift on the Supreme Court, fueled by conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and against the backdrop of changing demographics that threaten to upend the country’s power dynamics, 26 states have made access to voting and political representation less equal in the past two years for people of color, younger voters and people with disabilities. A 50-states-and-D.C. investigation into who gets a say in our democracy and who is being shut out.
- From the editor: How we documented inequity in voting.
FEATURED STORY
A headlong rush by states to attack voting access — or expand it
Nearly half of the country lives in states restricting access. A similar share is in states expanding it. Democracy hangs in the balance, experts warn.
STATE LIST
Other stories
Court victories deliver cautious hope for voters with disabilities
Disabled voters in Texas and Wisconsin regained assistance ahead of the midterms.
Voters in jail face ‘de facto disenfranchisement’
Many Americans in jails are eligible to vote. But a series of obstacles makes it nearly impossible.
‘Chaos and confusion’: The campaign to stamp out ballot drop boxes
Laws, court rulings and local decisions have targeted this method of voting in at least a dozen states as disinformation rages.
It’s already too late for thousands of would-be voters: Why that matters
Strict registration requirements suppress turnout among people of color, younger and lower-income voters
Thousands of votes won’t count this year over minor absentee ballot errors
Most states don’t offer a way to correct missing dates or signatures. Republicans have gone to court to keep it that way.
Cities want noncitizens to vote on local matters. GOP sees a target
They pay taxes and are essential to their communities. Some cities are giving them a say on local issues.
How a Jim Crow-era strategy blocked 4.6 million people from voting in 2022
Disenfranchising people with felony convictions was a tactic by white supremacists after the Civil War to prevent Black men from influencing elections. Why are 48 U.S. states still doing it?