This past Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld two Republican-sponsored Arizona voting restrictions that will make it harder for minority voters to cast a ballot. Not surprising given that the highest court in the land is stacked with three Trump-appointed judges who have a proven right-leaning track record. The ruling has dealt a sad blow to the Voting Rights Act of 1965: An act that was designed to prevent voting discrimination and dismantle Jim Crow laws. The justices ruled 6-3 to uphold Arizona statutes that make it a felony for anyone other than an immediate family member or a caregiver from delivering a mail-in ballot (which are widely used in the state). The court also upheld a statute that requires officials to throw out votes from people who show up to vote in a different precinct than their own, even if the individual is registered to vote in the state.

Justice Alito defended the ruling writing that “voting necessarily requires some effort and compliance with some rules,” and he added that making it more “inconvenient” for certain groups to vote does not violate federal law. Unbelievable.

Joe Biden stated that he was “deeply disappointed” with the ruling and renewed his call for the House and Senate to pass federal voting legislation (which of course Republicans killed in the US Senate last month). The president went on to add: “In just eight years, the court has now done severe damage to two of the most important provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – a law that took years of struggle and strife to secure.”

Another snafu to this ruling is that it will make it more difficult to challenge such laws in court, which will affect voting, particularly among minorities and lower-income groups. The ruling harms Native American groups especially.Only 18% of Native American voters in Arizona have access to regular mail service. Also, African American, Hispanic, and Native American Arizonans are twice as likely as white Arizonans to vote at precincts other than their own (even though previously anyone could vote in any precinct provided they were registered to vote in the state). Another issue is the mail-in ballot restrictions. In Arizona, nearly 80% of voters cast their ballots by mail in 2018, but in many rural areas and on native lands mail service is not always available. Only 18% of Native Americans in the state have access to home mail delivery.

In the last six months, Republican-controlled state legislatures have enacted at least 33 new voting restrictions, from limits on absentee voting to tighter voter-ID laws to drop-box restrictions to early-voting cuts. The myth that election fraud is rampant in this country has gained steam in the GOP, and the reason is not really about election integrity and fairness, the reason is about power. A recent Gallup poll showed that 49% of adults in the US identify themselves as either Democrats (30%) or as Democratic-leaning independents (19%). Only 40% of those polled identify as Republican or Republican-leaning independents. Also, it’s interesting to note that Arizona lost 24,000 GOP voters in January 2021.

The GOP is losing voters, and losing power, so what’s an obvious step? Pass legislation to suppress the votes of non-GOP voters, who incidentally tend to be minorities (African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic and Asian Americans). The myth of a stolen election, of illegally cast ballots, is persistent, persuasive, and simply untrue. All the more reason for the House and Senate to pass legislation to protect the Voter Rights Act of 1965, and to expand it.