S01E04 – Are voter restriction laws good?

In the latest episode of the Finding Common Battle Grounds podcast, we discuss the push by Republicans across the US to enact stricter voter laws and voting regulations. While the focus is on voting laws generally, we also discuss some of the specifics, including requiring IDs and the laws enacted in Georgia. We ultimately agree that these laws are openly intended to benefit Republicans in future outcomes while also recognizing that fewer restrictions to voting benefit Democrats. We also agree that these laws are not being developed and passed to prevent fraud, as there is no evidence that voter fraud in the US is widespread or would have overturned the 2020 elections. We also generally agree that requiring an ID would disproportionately affect people based on income, not race (while recognizing race and income are connected). Josh argues compellingly that there is well-intentioned but clear racism among many White Americans when talking about how voter ID requirements disadvantage Black Americans.