THE ISSUE:
Possible Election Day problems worry civil rights advocates
ATLANTA (AP) — New ID requirements. Unfamiliar or distant polling places. Names missing from the voter rolls.
Those are just some of the challenges that could disrupt voting across the country through Election Day. While most elections have their share of glitches, experts worry conditions are ripe this year for trouble at the nation's polling places.
This is the first presidential election year without a key enforcement provision of the federal Voting Rights Act, and 14 states have enacted new registration or voting restrictions. Adding to the uncertainty is a call by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for supporters to monitor the polls for voter fraud and concerns by the federal government that hackers could try to disrupt the voting process.
All this has civil rights advocates on guard.
"There is going to be a lot going on in this election that we are going to have to watch out for," said Penda Hair, a civil rights lawyer.
With no national standards for voting, rules vary widely across states and even counties.
Voting experts and civil rights groups are encouraging voters to do their research before heading to the polls. That includes checking to ensure they are registered and finding their voting location, as well as understanding their rights if they face any problems.
Student Reactions
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Caitlyn Bowling, sophomore social studies education major "I knew about the whole ID requirements and things like that, but I didn't know that it was a great concern, at least on Trump's part." |
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Sean Murphy, sophomore Japanese education major "Trump telling his supporters to do that is not the best thing because most of his supporters were the crazy ones who have been doing really radical protesting this year and if you're just intimidating people at the polls with their ID, it's not a good thing," Murphy said. |
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Mikayla Moore, freshman pre-dental major "I don't know if it will affect my vote. It may affect other people's vote just because it might be intimidating," More said. |
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Joseph Scruggs, freshman psychology major "I think that it should be fair for an election year. It won't get skewed or anything like that," Scruggs said. |
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