From: januarybaybee@gmail.com   
      
   Where is it happening?   
      
   Since the 2010 election, 24 states have introduced new restrictions.   
      
   But ahead of the November vote, attention has mainly focused on three states   
   for different reasons.   
      
      
   Florida   
      
   Some 1.5 million ex-felons will not be allowed to vote as the state is one of   
   few to bar ex-offenders from voting unless the governor gives them a pardon.   
   That number reportedly included almost 500,000 African-Americans, who   
   traditionally vote Democrat.   
      
   The disenfranchisement law was implemented by Republican Gov Rick Scott, who   
   won two gubernatorial races by a margin of just 60,000 votes. He is now   
   running for the Senate.   
      
   Mr Scott reversed a policy that had restored rights to tens of thousands of   
   felons, blocking tens of thousands of others from getting a chance to vote.   
   Image copyright Getty Images   
   Image caption Ron DeSantis (left) and Andrew Gillum are fighting to become   
   Florida's governor   
      
   The race for governor is a tight one between Democrat Andrew Gillum, who wants   
   to become the state's first black leader, and Republican Ron DeSantis. Mr   
   Scott is facing Democrat Bill Nelson for a Senate seat in another highly   
   contested fight.   
      
   On election day, voters in Florida will also be asked to decide whether to   
   restore voting rights to ex-felons.   
      
   It is a change that could have a significant impact in a key swing state with   
   29 electoral votes - in 2016, Donald Trump won over Hillary Clinton by just   
   112,000 votes.   
   ______________________   
                   
   Georgia   
      
   More than 50,000 voter registration applications - 70% of them from   
   African-Americans, according to the Associated Press - have been put on hold   
   due to alleged problems with identification information.   
      
   That is because of the "exact match law" that requires the application to have   
   exactly the same information existing on the voter's driving licence or Social   
   Security databases. People whose applications are now pending have been   
   required to confirm    
   their identities, and that is the source of confusion.   
      
   Georgia's Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate for   
   governor, has denied any attempt at voter suppression - in his post, he   
   oversees the election process. His campaign says those affected can solve any   
   problems before or on election    
   day.   
      
   The state's race is one of the most fiercely contested in this election.   
   Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams is hoping to become the country's first   
   black female governor, and says the new law, passed last year, is designed to   
   "make it harder" for people    
   to vote.   
      
   There have also been reports about the cancellation of more than 100,000   
   registrations last year of people who have not voted in recent elections, and   
   complaints over the closure of more than 200 polling stations across the state   
   in the last six years.   
   ___________________________   
      
   North Dakota   
      
   A new law demands voters show identification that provides their name, date of   
   birth and residential address. That requirement has a special impact on   
   thousands of Native Americans who live in reservations with no street address   
   - they have post office    
   boxes instead.   
      
   Earlier this month, the Supreme Court upheld the law, signed by Republican Gov   
   Doug Burgum in 2017. That means that the requirements now are different than   
   in the primaries held just months ago, which could confuse some voters.   
      
   Supporters of the new rules say the legislation is a way to prevent voter   
   fraud, as the state does not require any prior registration - people can vote   
   by showing their ID at polling stations.   
      
   They add that individuals affected can contact their county's 911 co-ordinator   
   to have an address assigned.   
      
   Critics, however, say the process is costly and not so simple.   
      
   The changes could have a decisive impact on the Senate race. Democrat Heidi   
   Heitkamp, who is facing Republican Kevin Cramer, won her seat in 2012 by fewer   
   than 3,000 votes.   
      
   Tensions have also erupted in North Carolina and Kansas over tougher ID rules.   
   ____________________________   
      
   How is it seen across the country?   
      
   Requirements vary across the US, where there has been an effort to encourage   
   people to register and vote. Many states allow voters to cast an early vote or   
   register at polling stations even on election day.   
      
   Research by the nonpartisan Pew Research Group released this week suggested   
   that two-thirds of the public said "everything possible should be done to make   
   it easy for every citizen to vote." Only a third said citizens "should have to   
   prove they want to    
   vote" by registering in advance.   
      
   "Republicans, however, are far more likely than Democrats to support removing   
   people from voter lists if they have not recently voted or confirmed their   
   registrations," the report said, adding that there were more people concerned   
   about eligible voters    
   being barred from voting than those ineligible casting ballots.   
      
      
   https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45986329   
      
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