The red and blue state divide is getting even bigger as the 2024 election looms: here's why - News Block

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

The red and blue state divide is getting even bigger as the 2024 election looms: here’s why

Esteban:

I’ve been describing the Great Schism Trend for about 10 years now, so I assume regular readers understand what the term means. We have now reached an important transition point in this trend. Between the 2020 election and the upcoming 2024 election, the Republican-controlled red state has been very methodically turning its states from democracies into anocracies. Over the same period, Democrat-controlled blue states have promoted welfare and improved democracy. This is not a partisan statement. As this article describes, which is why I chose it, this is based on social results data. The article highlights important points about the trend. We are really becoming two different countries, related but not the same.

*Interracial couple arguing in a coffee shop Credit: Shutterstock*

There are still 16 months to go until next year’s elections. But for voters, perhaps the most important events took place during the first half of this year, when states wrote and passed legislation that will shape how those contests are conducted.

“The rules that will govern the 2024 election are being written today,” said Megan Bellamy, vice president of law and policy at the Voting Rights Lab, which tracks state election law and works to protect ballot access. “Already, based on what we’ve seen, it will look different than the 2020 election for many voters, from how they vote to how their votes are counted.”

Now that all but a few state legislatures have adjourned, it’s clear that voters in some states will find it easier to cast their ballots, while in others it will be more difficult.

According to a count by the Brennan Center for Justice, 21 bills that restrict voting or interfere with election administration have been signed into law or (…)