A look at new barriers at the ballot box

The Supreme Court is systematically reshaping American elections by weakening the Voting Rights Act and deregulating campaign finance, effectively consolidating power among wealthy donors and partisan interests. Recent rulings have struck down protections against racial gerrymandering and removed limits on coordinated party spending, creating a structural advantage for the Republican Party. Ari Berman, a national voting rights correspondent, highlights how these judicial shifts, combined with the proposed SAVE Act, threaten to disenfranchise voters through restrictive citizenship documentation requirements. These developments mirror a broader trend of challenging democratic norms, as political actors increasingly manipulate election mechanics—such as redistricting and ballot certification—to secure long-term majorities. This erosion of the bipartisan consensus on voting rights signals a return to exclusionary political practices, undermining the efficacy of multiracial democracy and increasing the potential for significant post-election instability.