The battle over voting rights in the United States has been a long and contentious one, with proponents of tighter regulations — typically Republicans — arguing that increasing identification requirements helps to ensure more secure, fraud-free elections.
The arguments in favor of those regulations generally look like this: allowing people to cast their ballots without a state-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or, in the case of Texas, a concealed gun carry permit, means that anyone can vote in someone else’s name, therefore undermining the security of elections in general.
It’s an argument that’s gained even greater traction among Donald Trump supporters since the former president lost the 2020 election but falsely continues to insist the election was stolen from him.
Since that acrimonious presidential election, reported Reuters, various states have put in place more than 30 laws restricting access to voting, ranging from tighter voter ID laws to laws further limiting access to mail-in ballots.