[ByteJockey]

> Since when did this become a partisan issue?

Right around the 70s iirc. That's roughly when the modern progressive wing of the democratic party started to coalesce, and they've always had a big focus on it.

Though it's a little weird how much heat it generates given that it's only a "top 5" issue for about 6% of people. [0] If that few people people even bring it up on polls, I'd expect any attempts to create drama out of it to fall flat much more than they do.

[0] https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AP-NORC-Decemb...

[abeppu]

I think there's a more recent flip side to it.

The two most recent Republican presidents got into office while failing to win the popular vote. Prior to Bush, that hadn't happened since the 19th century. In that context the GOP learned from those experiences that it's more important to have the right rules keep you in power than it is to actually have the support of the governed.

[ByteJockey]

That seems more likely to be because the GOP has rigorously cultivated a base that's advantaged by the electoral college.

It's just weird how much culture warring happens over this when most people are ambivalent at best, and the types of voting restrictions we're talking about don't have much of an impact on turnout.[0] I suppose everyone has to have a hobby, but I guess I kind of expect this stuff to track things that are salient to the populace.

[0] https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/136/4/2615/628...

Convenience link to sci-hub for anyone wanting the full text: https://sci-hub.st/10.1093/qje/qjab019

[abeppu]

I think it's wrong to generalize from voter id laws to "the types of voting restrictions we're talking about". Other stuff that's being pushed:

- limitations on early voting

- limitations on mail voting windows

- criminalizing helping people return their mail ballots (including disabled people)

- sending mail ballots not specifically requested

- voter roll purges

When these are paired with stuff that isn't statutory (fewer voting machines per capita causing long lines at particular polling places), I don't think it's a stretch to think there would be aggregate impacts that are significant given the narrow margins that we often tend to see.

[ByteJockey]

Could be, I suppose. Though for most of those, I'd expect them to have approximately the same impact as voter id laws. The big exception being voter roll purges in states without same day registration, that one seems most likely to have an impact.

> given the narrow margins that we often tend to see.

Most elections really aren't that narrow (hence the high incumbency rate). The few that are just end up dominating the news cycles.