| The purpose of this study is to examine voting rights history in the United States in light of the influx of legislation regarding election law in the 2011 and 2012 State Legislative Sessions. In the preceding decades, there was a trend in Congress and the Courts toward broadening voting rights for citizens. Constitutional amendments, numerous Acts, and judicial decisions granted or affirmed voting rights for many groups of people. With the proposed legislation in 2011 and 2012, new laws threaten to disenfranchise huge groups of voters. This study examines the new legislation, the arguments of its supporters and opponents, and the effects that it could have on the U.S. voting population. |
