HuffPost: The 2018 Midterms Will Have Huge Consequences For Voting Rights

Seeing an opportunity to elect officials who will make it easier to vote, Democrats are investing in secretary of state races. In Ohio, for example, Kathleen Clyde, the Democratic nominee, has said she would end the state’s aggressive voter purging, while her Republican opponent has said he would continue the practice. In Arizona, Democrats are spending money to back Katie Hobbs for secretary of state in her race against Steven Gaynor, a businessman with no political experience. Gaynor has said that ballots should only be printed in English, something that would likely violate the Voting Rights Act, which includes specific protections for non-English speakers.

“There has been more recruitment. National Democrats, everyone has sort of come together to realize this is something that people need to put more of an emphasis on because many Republican secretaries of state across the country are trying to use the office for political gain,” said Abe Rakov, chair of Let America Vote, a voting rights group that is supporting Democratic candidates for secretary of state across the country. “On our side, we want to make sure every eligible voter can vote.”

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