How News Sources Portray Voting Rights Policies
This chart shows how major news sources across the ideological spectrum frame voting rights policies, from left to right-leaning perspectives.
Voting is a main way that people in a democracy can exercise their freedoms and ensure that their voice is heard. However, many groups have had to fight for their right to vote, including minorities and women. Voting rights are largely affected by political bias and different types of bias, and it’s important to understand and acknowledge different biases.
Voting rights policies have changed drastically over time, especially with the addition and revision of the 19th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Republicans and Democrats differ slightly in their perceptions of voting policies, as voting rights have, historically speaking, been a partisan issue. State policies greatly vary across the U.S. – blue states tend to have more lenient voting requirements, whereas red states tend to have stricter voting requirements.
A Brief History of Voting Rights Policies
The 19th Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, which prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on sex. This granted women the right to vote nationwide, and states could no longer deny women at voting booths. The addition of the 19th Amendment was a landmark achievement for gender equality, which later played an important role in extending the right to vote to minorities later in the 20th century.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted in the U.S. to reduce racial discrimination in voting, and mainly focused on barriers that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment. Section Two prohibited voting obstructions that encouraged subtle racial discrimination (such as literacy tests). Section Five established a preclearance requirement, where states must seek approval from the federal government to change voting laws in their state, and focused on areas with a history of racial discrimination (mostly in the South). Overall, the VRA of 1965 was the most effective policy to get African Americans to vote.
The Voting Rights Act was then revised in 1982. Congress amended Section Two (which prohibited racial voting discrimination) and altered the preclearance requirements to eliminate the intent requirement. In 1982, the Supreme Court case Thornburg v. Gingles established a “results test,” whereby plaintiffs must demonstrate discriminatory results and effects of a law for the Supreme Court to agree that a new redistricting map has a racially discriminatory impact. The Gingles test was then made, which consisted of a three-pronged test that determined if a law resulted in vote dilution of the minority group.
Another Supreme Court case, Shelby County v. Holder, ruled that the previous preclearance requirements were unconstitutional. After this case, voters or groups must sue states that enact redistributing plans that they believe violate Section Two of the VRA and have racially discriminatory intent. The preclearance requirements seen in Section Five of the VRA of 1965 were then eliminated, though they still remain present in the VRA today.
Stances on Voting Rights
The Republican stance on voting rights is generally more negative – that is, they’re less likely than Democrats to make it easier for people to vote. Polling shows that 28% of Republicans say that everything possible should be done to make it easier to vote. Republicans view voting as a privilege, as 67% of Republicans say voting is a privilege that comes with responsibilities and can be limited. Another survey shows that 38% of Republicans favor automatically registering all eligible citizens to vote. They also tend to oppose absentee voting (mail-in voting), believing that voters must provide documentation for missing in-person voting. Red states, therefore, generally have stricter voting rights and more barriers that prevent people from voting as easily.
The Democratic stance on voting rights is more positive, and they want any citizen to vote however they can. 85% of Democrats believe that the government should do everything possible to make it easy to vote, compared to just 28% of Republicans. Democrats view voting as a right, as 78% of Democrats say voting is a fundamental right for every U.S. citizen and should not be restricted. A survey reflects that 82% of Democrats favor automatically registering all eligible citizens to vote. Democrats are more in favor of absentee voting, as they believe voters don’t require documentation for missing in-person voting on election day. Blue states, therefore, have more lenient voting guidelines that allow more people to vote.
State Voting Policies
State voting legislation varies around the country. Since the 2020 presidential election, at least 30 states enacted 79 restrictive laws, and in 2024, at least 10 states enacted 19 restrictive laws. Restrictive laws make it harder for eligible Americans to cast their vote, thus placing more barriers around voting access. Additionally, some states enact what’s called election interference legislation – that is, measures that allow partisan interference in elections. They harm existing election administrations and undermine the voters’ trust in the security of elections. Two states (Louisiana and South Dakota) have enacted election interference legislation. Since 2020, at least 15 states have passed 33 election interference laws.
Some states have enacted policies that help citizens vote more easily. Pro-voter legislators seek to expand access to voting and create what are called expansive laws. In 2024, at least 21 states enacted 32 expansive laws.
States differ on several policies, including the presence of automatic voter registration, absentee voting with/without excuse, drop boxes, vote by mail, ID requirements, online registration, and more. Comparing some very left-leaning versus very right-leaning states, California accepts or has online registration, automatic voter registration, vote by mail, election day registration, and does not require an ID to vote. Arkansas, however, does not accept or have online registration, automatic voter registration, vote by mail, election day registration, and an ID is required to vote. Looking at the purple state (i.e., states that are neither left- nor right-leaning) Georgia, it does not offer election day registration or vote by mail, and an ID is required to vote. Georgia accepts or has online registration, drop boxes, and automatic voter registration, which is an even split.
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