Instead, this crisis has highlighted the unnecessary hurdles and barriers many states place between voters and the ballot box. Unfortunately, in the Deep South, voter suppression is alive and well. These states have implemented strict photo identification laws, closed polling places in majority Black or Latinx communities, and purged hundreds of thousands from the voter rolls. Now, facing the COVID-19 crisis, these Deep South states are woefully unprepared to protect voters, poll workers, and the right to vote. Nevertheless, our states must act now to ensure that they can carry out safe, accessible elections in which any eligible voter can cast a ballot during the remainder of the 2020 election cycle.
