Voter suppression has become an increasing concern among proponents of voting rights, especially as federal courts have shown through Shelby County v. Holder (2013) and subsequent cases that they will adopt a more hands-off stance on questionable actions by state governments. In reaction to these changes, political scientists and other scholars have published considerable amounts of research demonstrating the rising threat of voter suppression in the United States.

Last spring, the spread of COVID-19 forced lockdowns in many states in the United States, and disrupted election administration at the tail end of the Democratic presidential primaries. As we’ve discussed previously, the pandemic led to poll closures in many areas that disproportionately impacted underserved communities of color, and in fact led to decreased turnout in those areas.

In the lead up to the 2020 United States presidential elections, voters were faced with a deluge of changes to voting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes required voters have accurate and trusted information to ensure all who wished to do so were able to safely cast a ballot and have it counted.