As Missouri lawmakers contemplate , 42 other states . That鈥檚 according to the Brennan Center, a nonprofit that tracks voting laws.
Gena Gunn McClendon, director of the Voter Access and Engagement Initiative at the Brown School at Washington University, sees a clear reason for that.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a backlash to the historic voter turnout in the 2020 election and the success of the Georgia voters to elect two Democrats to the U.S. Senate,鈥� she said on Friday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air.
鈥淚 also think that it鈥檚 because Republicans were very unsuccessful in reversing the electoral vote from President Biden to the former president,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 racism, power and control 鈥� just to make things harder for people to vote, especially Black and other minority groups, college students, who primarily vote Democrat.鈥�
McClendon said efforts to change voter access in Missouri are part of a larger national effort with a single message: 鈥渢o keep the country from having an effective democracy that works for the people.鈥�
Rep. John Simmons, a Republican from Washington, discussed his bill to on St. Louis on the Air earlier this month. In addition to his bill, McClendon is keeping a close eye on bills that would prohibit absentee ballots from being counted before ballots are cast on Election Day, purge voter registration records more regularly and eliminate electronic voting machines.
While McClendon is concerned about the measures that would restrict voter access, she is optimistic about the effort to expand voting rights in Congress. She said the passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would support and strengthen voting rights like automatic voter registration and early voting, as well as create 鈥渁 system of fairness when it comes to redistricting and representation.鈥�
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has committed to bringing the bill, which passed the House along partisan lines, to a vote on the Senate floor. Democrats will need support from at least 10 Republicans to advance the legislation.
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . The audio engineer is .
