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Saturday 12 March 2022
Poll: Equality concerns rise, but few say voting is too hard

From Front ate caucus to agree to it. are,” she said.
One of the bill’s provisions Although she likes Florida’s
By NICHOLAS RICCARDI would have banned par- voting laws, she’s worried
and HANNAH FINGERHUT tisan gerrymandering, or that the changes — new
Associated Press the contorted redrawing procedures for mail bal-
DENVER (AP) — Majorities of legislative lines to make lots and limitations on drop
of Americans in both major it easier for one party’s rep- boxes where they can be
parties think voting rules in resentatives to win elec- deposited — will ruin things.
their states are appropriate tions. The poll found that “It seems like in the past
and support a voter identifi- 69% of Americans believe several years, it’s been go-
cation law, but Democrats that’s a major problem, ing the opposite direction,
are increasingly worried with Democrats more likely it’s reversing,” she said of
about progress in voting than Republicans to say so, progress on voting rights for
rights for Black Americans. 80% to 58%. The GOP had African Americans.
A new poll from The Asso- great success in the prior Just 32% of Black Ameri-
ciated Press-NORC Center A county worker collects a mail-in ballots in a drive-thru mail-in round of redistricting and cans say there has been
for Public Affairs Research ballot drop off area at the Clark County Election Department in has pushed to lessen legal significant progress in ra-
showed voting was the Las Vegas, Nov. 2, 2020. oversight of the once-a-de- cial equality in voting rights
only one of eight subjects Associated Press cade drawing of legislative since the civil rights era,
— including education Chicago suburb, echo- a series of voting reforms in lines. compared with 52% of
and treatment by police ing the term President Joe the poll, with 70% favoring Lisa Thomas worries about white Americans. Majorities
— in which fewer Ameri- Biden, a fellow Democrat, requiring photo identifica- gerrymandering. The of Black and white Ameri-
cans now than four years used to attack the new tion before casting a bal- 48-year-old janitor in Lake- cans say more needs to be
ago said African Ameri- Republican laws. “They’re lot. Smaller majorities were land, Florida, believes the done, but Black Americans
cans had achieved signifi- making it hard for ‘the oth- in favor of automatic voter Republicans who con- are much more likely to say
cant progress since the civil er’ people to vote to con- registration of eligible citi- trol her state government a lot more is needed, 57%
rights era. Concern about solidate their power.” zens and sending mail bal- have been drawing lines to 29% of whites who feel
a lack of progress is much Still, even Democrats are lots to all registered voters, to weaken the votes of that way.
higher for Democrats, 86% fairly happy with the vot- two top Democratic pri- African Americans like Thomas, like roughly three-
of whom believe more ing laws in their own states orities. Republicans were her. She links it to changes quarters of all Americans
must be done to secure ra- — red and blue. About 3 more likely than Democrats in the state’s voting laws regardless of party, also
cial equality in voting rights, out of 4 Americans think to support the voter ID law, implemented by the GOP worries about the future of
compared with 40% of Re- the laws in their states are 87% to 55%. last year even though Re- the country’s democratic
publicans. “about right,” according to The poll illustrates why publicans touted Florida’s system. “We’re still a two-
That’s a reflection of the the poll. Democrats have had such system as an example of a party system, and they
continuing partisan fight Recoa Russell, a 67-year- problems in their push for well-run election system. both fail us on a daily ba-
over election procedures old retired machine op- a federal overhaul of vot- Thomas, who says she leans sis,” she said.
that spawned more restric- erator in Mobile, Alabama, ing laws. An attempt to Democratic but is an inde- Peggy Orr, 66, who lives
tive laws in 19 GOP-con- who is Black, lives in a state pass sweeping election pendent and hungers for in rural Nebraska, is also
trolled states last year. with some of the most re- changes stalled in the Sen- more viable parties, dis- concerned, but for very
“I’m concerned that the strictive voting laws in the ate earlier this year amid missed arguments that vot- different reasons. She’s
more conservative ele- country. But he said the unanimous Republican op- er identification laws hurt convinced there was wide-
ments are attempting to rules there “work well. Just position. For months, Dem- minorities because they spread voter fraud in the
create a Jim Crow 2,” said show your ID and pull the ocrats hesitated to even have a harder time getting 2020 presidential election,
Richard Barnett, a retired lever.” bring the bill to a vote be- a government ID. “There echoing former President
attorney who volunteered Indeed, voter identifica- cause they couldn’t get are a lot of situations where Donald Trump’s false claims
as an election judge in his tion is the most popular of their entire 50-member Sen- you have to show who you that that is why he lost.q

Hacked U.S. companies to face new

reporting requirements

By ALAN SUDERMAN and porting will give the federal by the House and the Sen-
ERIC TUCKER government much greater ate on Thursday and is ex-
Associated Press visibility into hacking efforts pected to be signed into
WASHINGTON (AP) — that target private com- law by President Joe Biden
Companies critical to panies, which often have soon. It requires any entity
U.S. national interests will skipped going to the FBI or that’s considered part of
now have to report when other agencies for help. the nation’s critical infra-
they’re hacked or they “It’s clear we must take structure, which includes
pay ransomware, accord- bold action to improve our the finance, transportation
ing to new rules approved online defenses,” Sen. Gary and energy sectors, to re- FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks at a news conference at
by Congress. The rules are Peters, a Michigan Demo- port any “substantial cyber the Justice Department in Washington Nov. 8, 2021.
part of a broader effort by crat who leads the Senate incident” to the govern- Associated Press
the Biden administration Homeland Security and ment within three days and tion until ransoms have days of gas station short-
and Congress to shore up Government Affairs Com- any ransomware payment been paid, have flourished ages on the East Coast
the nation’s cyberdefenses mittee and wrote the leg- made within 24 hours. in recent years. Attacks last — have underscored how
after a series of high-profile islation, said in a statement Ransomware attacks, in year on the world’s largest gangs of extortionist hack-
digital espionage cam- on Friday. which criminals hack tar- meat-packing company ers can disrupt the econo-
paigns and disruptive ran- The reporting requirement gets and hold their data and the biggest U.S. fuel my and put lives and liveli-
somware attacks. The re- legislation was approved hostage through encryp- pipeline — which led to hoods at risk.q