Why it is so difficult to vote in the United States?
The debate over who has the right to vote in the United States and under what system should be votes be cast on has led to hundreds of lawsuits and voter suppression. But what are the barriers to voting in the United States?
LONG QUEUES.
The long queues of citizens for early voting in the country are being seen as a public sentiment, but at the same time it is being seen as evidence of problems in the voting system.
Andrea Haley, CEO of Vote.org, a non-partisan organization, says queues, strict voting rules and limited access to polling stations prevent people from participating in the democratic process.
Some of these obstacles have been exacerbated by the Corona virus epidemic, which has led to a shortage of volunteers at polling stations across the country and a reduction in the number of polling stations. Andrea says people are having a hard time voting.
Voting rules have been relaxed in some states due to Corona's threats due to overcrowding at a polling station. This means that many Americans will be able to cast their ballots early in the morning or by mail. But not everyone is in favour of these facilities.
There are currently more than 300 cases in 44 states across the country involving the counting of absentee votes (i.e. those who do not cast their ballots at the polling station). The questions are who is allowed to vote early, and how the postal votes will be counted. Republicans say sanctions are needed to reduce voter fraud, while Democrats say this is an attempt to stifle people's right to vote.
So, what are the problems people are facing in this regard?
Wait up to 10 hour
Thousands of voters in the state of Georgia have had to wait for hours to cast their ballots during early voting. Many says this is due to the high turnout among voters, but other factors such as a lack of polling stations, staff shortages or problems with the computer system have also been cited.
It is not yet clear how many people did not vote because of the long queues, but it is clear who faces the most problems.
According to a survey by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the run-up to the 2016 election, black voters had to wait an average of 16 minutes, while white voters had to wait 10 minutes. Other studies have found similar results.
other strict rules
Andrea Haley says the need to print ballot papers to vote could discourage younger or poorer voters because they are less likely to have their own printer at home.
In Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court has ordered that ballots will not be considered which have not conceal envelop (a voter's identity a secrecy envelope). With such a decision so close to the election, it is feared that many 'naked belts' (which are not in such envelopes) will be lost.
Prior to the Corona virus epidemic, many states had a law requiring the signature of a notary or witness on a postal ballot. But since the outbreak, many states have relaxed the rules. But not everyone has done so.
In North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Alabama is required at least one witness to sign a ballot.
Long distance travel
In rural areas of the United States, some voters have to travel many hours to reach polling stations.
According to Four Directions, a voting organization for Native Americans, many Native Americans who live on their reservations have limited access to voting.
For example, in the state of Nevada, people from the community called Primed Lakes Pius will have to drive at least 100 miles to get to the nearest early voting polling station.
In the state of Arizona, people of Navajo Nation have asked the court for extra polling time because there is only one post office for every 707 square miles.
Identity document rules. 
Once people have passed through the queue stage, then they have to prove what their identity is.
In 35 states of the country, voters must have some kind of ID. Although in some states you can give an affidavit if you do not have an identity document, in some states including Wisconsin, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, and Georgia this facility is not available.
Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a supporter of identity law, says the rules make voting easier but harder to dishonest.
However other people say that concerns about voter fraud are exaggerated and through this, poor, homeless and disabled voters are being deprived of their rights.
Legislation requiring identification documents for voting has emerged in the last decade as an attempt to prevent voter fraud in Republican legislatures. However, experts say their main goal is to create problems for voters who are more likely to vote for the Democratic Party.
It is generally said that everyone has an identity document and you need it to open a bank account or to travel by plane. But not everyone travels by plane or has a bank account.
But the United States is not the only country that needs a voting ID. Pilot programs have also been launched in the UK.
However, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the United States. In this regard, the Trump administration had set up a commission to review these 2016 elections but it was terminated without publishing any report.
At that time The White House said that many states had refused to help.
Changing in Voter lists.
In the United States, local counties manage the elections. Each county and state have its own rules. Some of them delete voter lists every time, which means that every voter has to register every time.
There is currently a case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court in which the names of 130,000 voters could be removed from the lists. A conservative law firm has filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging that the state's election commission did not remove people from the lists who were told their names could be removed. If Replies were not submitted within 30 days.
This question, in a state where Trump won by a narrow margin in 2016, is giving divided answers within party lines. Republicans say the commission violated the law by placing people on voter lists, while Democrats say the law discriminates against poor and young voters.
Ban on voting in jails
Most states do not allow serious criminals to vote. In some states, the right to vote is automatically restored on completion of the sentence, while in others it does not happen until there is probation or all fines are not paid.
In 2018 Florida restores 1.5 million offenders' right to vote after that a law was introduced in the state, according to which a criminal will not be given the right to vote until he has paid all the fines.
Former New York mayor and former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg has donated 16 million to pay fines to 32,000 black and Latin American citizens.
But his move prompted the Republican Attorney General of each state to ask the FBI to investigate possible violations of election laws.
A dark history
After the American Civil War, black Americans were allowed to vote, but to prevent them, tests such as the polling tax and reading ability were introduced to make it difficult for them.
But 1965 That all changed when the Voting Rights Act was passed, which outlawed many of these restrictions and forced many states to seek federal permission before changing voting laws.
But 2013 Part of the Act, which required federal oversight of some states, was overturned by the Supreme Court on the grounds that it was discriminatory, after which states were allowed to make voting laws.
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