I've heard arguments from some on other forums and in the mainstream media that increasing election security leads to voter suppression. I've even heard this view come up in response to requiring voters to show ID. Ever since Trump lost his campaign, some state governments controlled by Republicans have pushed for additional voting laws, like Florida's SB 90 bill,
From Wiki:
There are different arguments offered for not increasing election security and I'll list two common points from that side:
1. There is little fraud being committed in elections. Here's brief info. on that from vox.com...
2. Adding more security makes it harder to vote and suppresses voter turnout. The below info. is in reference to Florida bill SB90 which is talked about above in the Wiki article...
For Debate:
1. Does increasing voter/election security amount to voter suppression?
2. Are the two views against election security valid? Do we not need an increase in security from what we have now because voter fraud rarely happens?
From Wiki:
The coronavirus pandemic meant that the 2020 United States elections had seen high levels of mail-in voting, with up to 46% of voters saying they voted by mail.[1] In Florida, 4.8 million voters chose to vote by mail, with more Democrats voting absentee than Republicans for the first time in several election cycles.[2][3]
After Joe Biden's election to presidency, Trump supporters unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the election results.[4] SB 90 is seen to be part of Republican efforts to restrict voting rights following the election.[5][6]
SB 90 restricts access to mail-in voting as well as limiting the ability of independent organisations to be involved with elections,[7] leading to the Brennan Center for Justice and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to describe it as a voter suppression measure.[8][9]
Supporters argue that the law is a preventative measure in order to "restore faith and confidence in elections".[10]
There are different arguments offered for not increasing election security and I'll list two common points from that side:
1. There is little fraud being committed in elections. Here's brief info. on that from vox.com...
The legislation is an odd about-face — but not a wholly unexpected one — for a state and governor who praised Florida’s election security and integrity gains. While DeSantis said in a statement last week that the new law is necessary to “do more to ensure our elections remain secure” and that “bad actors are held accountable,” investigations into the voter and election fraud that he and other Republicans allege repeatedly show that fraud is rare. One New York Times investigation, in which reporters called election officials in every state, found no evidence of substantial voter fraud. A separate Associated Press analysis found fewer than 475 possible claims of fraud out of 25.5 million votes cast in six battleground states. Florida’s secretary of state reported receiving 262 fraud complaints in 2020, with just 75 of them referred to law enforcement. The Trump administration’s own Homeland Security officials declared 2020 America’s most secure election in history.
2. Adding more security makes it harder to vote and suppresses voter turnout. The below info. is in reference to Florida bill SB90 which is talked about above in the Wiki article...
- Vox“The people who supported this bill have really demonstrated that what they’re interested in is, simply, making it harder to vote,” Scoon said. “Especially since they’ve brought nothing forward to suggest that election problems are happening at any scale at all in the state.”
...
“This bill doubles down on voter intimidation and barriers to voting, totally moving Florida in the wrong direction,” Kanter Cohen said. “The state should, after what was broadly considered to be a successful 2020 election, be moving toward increasing access to the ballot for Floridians.”
For Debate:
1. Does increasing voter/election security amount to voter suppression?
2. Are the two views against election security valid? Do we not need an increase in security from what we have now because voter fraud rarely happens?