This is an interesting read because I rarely find someone that I can almost find no agreement with?

Voting Rights: “There Is Reason to be Optimistic as Well as Alarmed” 

The Supreme Court is curtailing voting rights, as are many states. But the Brennan Center’s Michael Waldman sees reason for hope. Here’s why.

There is reason to be optimistic, as well as alarmed. Until quite recently, the trend has been toward enhanced democracy and expanded access to voting. What makes me optimistic is people showing they care about the health of democracy. People looking to undermine American democracy know that people care about it. For years, most consultants in the Democratic Party would whisper in the ears of their clients, “Oh, nobody cares about this stuff—it’s boring. It’s technical. It’s arcane.” We’ve learned that when you take away people’s right to vote or when you have an assault on our democracy as visible as the assault on the Capitol, people care.

What gives me hope is that if this remains a central burning political issue going forward, that can help transform the country.

Pretty much anyone who talks about the "big lie" and demands that allowing voter ID laws is akin to voter suppression is not someone I would ever agree with. But tossing in the idea that states in 2022 cannot make new laws because people in their legislation made questionable decisions a century ago just adds fuel to that fire. 

The USSC has been ruling in favor of states being able to run their elections for some time now. The idea that every change in a voter law is "racist" and part of "voter suppression" is rhetoric, not a valid argument. Moreover the idea that this is some form of rollback of progress flies in the face of reason, given we are the only major Democracy in the world (other than Russia) that does not have a national ID requirement to vote.

But I guess my biggest issue with this author and article is the implication that what is happening is unpopular. Every poll, survey, and analysis on this subject suggests that the American public (including blacks) support Voter ID laws.  By a 2-1 or even 3-1 margin American voters want our new laws to focus on security (not ease of voting). If given the choice between a law that makes it harder to both cheat and vote people ultimately prefer that than one that makes it easier to vote and cheat. 

That is the reality. Those who demand differently cannot be taken seriously.