Data: Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law; Cartogram: Michelle McGhee/Axios
Georgia is not alone in passing a law adding voting restrictions, but other states are seeing a surge in provisions and proposals that would expand access to the polls, according to data from the Brennan Center for Justice.
Driving the news: Just Wednesday, the New York State Assembly passed a bill to restore voting rights to convicted felons who have been released from prison.
- The number of restrictive voting bills matches or exceeds the number of expansive ones in several key battleground states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona and Wisconsin.
- Changes to the voting process could make the biggest difference in states with close elections.
By the numbers: There were 361 state bills as of April 1 that could make it more difficult for some people to vote being considered across states, the Brennan Center data showed.
- Five have been enacted, and 55 have had some kind of committee action or passed at least one chamber.
- Most of the bills would limit the use of absentee voting, while others would impose stricter voter ID requirements.
843 bills with provisions that would expand voting access have popped up across states. Nine have been enacted and 112 have had some movement through legislatures.
- While some states are moving to limit absentee voting, others are moving to expand access to it.
