Majority of Americans are concerned about voting access: poll

A majority of Americans are concerned about having access to ballet, while 72 percent of Republicans have said that voter fraud is their highest priority, according to a new poll. 

In the NPR/ PBS NewsHour/ Marist Poll released on Friday, 56 percent of respondents said the priority should be “making sure that everyone who wants to vote can do so.”

While, 41 percent opposed voter fraud, saying that the focus should be “making sure that no one votes who is not eligible.”

Eighty-five percent of respondents who identified as Democrats and 52 percent of those who identified as independents favored voting access, compared to 72 percent of those identifying as Republicans said that voter fraud is their highest priority.

The poll comes as Republican-led states are trying to pass sweeping voting reforms tightening up rules at the ballot box, which will deny many Americans their voting right.

Several states, such as Georgia, Arizona and Florida, have passed controversial laws aimed at restricting voting.

The US Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a potent blow to the Voting Rights Act (VRA), ruling that a pair of GOP-backed Arizona restrictions could remain in place.

The decision came after the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) appealed for the fast-tracking of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

CBC chair Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) on Wednesday night said that the caucus wanted the bill to be named after the late Georgia congressman and voting rights champion and pushed to the House floor for a vote by July 16, The Hill reported.

US Supreme Court upholds Arizona voting laws deemed discriminatory to minorities

The US top court on Thursday dismissed an earlier ruling by a federal appeals court and reinstated the two controversial laws in the state of Arizona considered unfair to minorities

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that two controversial Arizona voting laws do not violate the Voting Rights Act. The decision has weakened the key voting rights legislation amid a heated debate over Americans’ access to the ballot.

Following the court’s decision, Beatty reiterated that getting the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act passed was one of the CBC’s “top priorities.”

“We still know that there's [voter] discrimination, and that there's disparity in treatment whether it is how we vote, when we vote, where we vote.”

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