Despite the absence of widespread security problems with postal voting, Republican lawmakers in all three states are defending additional security and proposing measures that would make it more difficult to qualify or vote by mail.
In Georgia, even Republicans who broke with Trump because of his electoral claims are supporting a party-sanctioned measure to require a photo ID. In Pennsylvania, the state GOP decided to break a 2019 law on absentee voting without excuse. And in Arizona, lawmakers want to get voters to re-apply for ballots each election.
“I think they received bad information about availability, effectiveness and data regarding voting by mail. Absentee voting and voting by mail benefit all voters, regardless of their political or party tendencies,” Amber McReynolds, CEO of group, he told CNN.
The measures, if passed, could have a significant impact on the upcoming mid-term elections in 2022, as Republicans failed to win a majority in the Senate, but visibly won over members of the House.
Jonathan Diaz, who is a legal advisor for voting rights at the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center, said the current pressure from some Republican-controlled legislatures to make it more difficult to vote in the next election is part of what he described as a “long coup” , by some republican politicians.
“The justification that all those lawmakers cited is that ‘the public has lost confidence in our electoral system’. What these lawmakers are leaving out is their role in creating this lack of confidence, “Diaz told CNN.
“There were no allegations of fraud proven in the 2020 elections,” he added. “There is no reason to make voting more difficult, except to give them a party advantage.”
Proposed identity requirements in Georgia
“Their aim is to ensure that our elections are fair, accessible, secure and transparent,” said McMichen in an emailed statement to CNN on Wednesday.
The approval of a photo identification law reflects the call from the state party’s platform to change voting laws.
Pennsylvania Republican Party eyes revoke vote without excuse
“It’s about revoking it,” said Gregory. “The confusion that followed, and just the lack of faith in how things were going, is really affecting people’s belief and desire to want to vote again. This is especially true in my district.”
Gregory said he hopes the project will be the starting point for significant electoral reforms.
“We need to start the conversation somewhere, so I’m going to launch a complete revocation and see where that goes, because you won’t get what you want when you start trading, but you’re hoping to get something more palatable,” added Gregory.
The Arizona GOP is eyeing changes in the mail record
Another bill introduced by the chairman of the Chamber’s state election committee, Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita, would remove PEVL voters who did not vote in primary and general elections in two consecutive electoral cycles and also did not respond to a final Notice.
Ugenti-Rita called the project a “good governance” measure in a telephone interview with CNN and said it was “about maintaining an accurate voter list”.
“The individuals who can be removed are individuals who have shown or demonstrated that they do not prefer this preference. They are not voting by mail, so you cannot take something from someone that someone is not doing, ”said Ugenti -Rita.
She also said that the electoral committee is considering several other electoral maintenance bills, including one that would require voters to hand out their ballots before election day.
CNN’s Fredreka Schouten contributed to this report.