The GOP, also known as the Republican Party, has been pushing for changes in the Voting Rights Act in the United States after the results of the 2020 election. The Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965, giving those who were facing problems or harassment when it came to voting a fair vote. The GOP believe that changing these laws will prevent voting fraud in future elections. This issue is being heavily debated in statehouses around the country. 

“Republicans want the justices to set a higher bar for assessing when voting rules ‘deny or abridge’ the right to vote,”  ABC News stated. “Democrats and civil rights activists want the court to maintain a broad standard that considers the totality of circumstances surrounding the rules, especially the impact on communities of color.”

The Democratic Party believes that the reason behind changing this law is embedded in efforts to make it harder for minorities to vote, as people of color typically vote Democrat in national elections. These decisions could cause further disagreements, as the Voting Rights Act is extremely important in the United States right now. Without the Voting Rights Act, a large portion of the citizens in the US would have a hard time being able to vote. 

If the GOP wins this battle, it would cause more difficulties for people of color and younger voters in participating in future presidential elections. The reason for this being that the Voting Rights Act was created to make sure everyone’s vote counted equally with no violence or harassment involved. Some feel that Republicans are trying to push away specific voters in these future elections. 

The COVID-19 pandemic arguably made voting by mail much easier for the 2020 presidential election, which Republicans lost. Many members of the GOP still maintain that the election was “stolen” and that hundreds of thousands of fraudulent ballots were cast. There is no evidence of massive voter fraud and these theories have been debunked numerous times.

A March 6 news article in USA Today stated, “Republicans…argue their efforts, particularly at the state level, where elections are run, are to protect against fraud and make sure only eligible voters can cast ballots.”

Both the Democratic and Republican parties have been debating over this disagreement, but there is no sure sign of which side will succeed. Voting laws could change drastically depending on whether the Republican party or Democratic party wins the debate.