Georgia’s candidates and voters are undoubtedly grateful that this year’s Senate campaign, unlike the last one, was over before the holidays. But the state legislature’s decision to hold the 2022 runoff a month earlier than the 2020 runoff wasn’t motivated by a desire to make things more convenient for everyone. Instead, it’s representative of an unfortunate trend in U.S. politics: the frequent revision of electoral rules in pursuit of partisan advantage.
Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much, but both parties subscribe to the traditional assumption that making it easier for citizens to vote systematically benefits Democratic candidates. This bipartisan consensus on the consequences of user-friendly balloting has bred bitter conflict over how elections should be run.
When and where they hold power, Democratic officials are increasingly likely to seek a favorable electorate by imposing reforms such as extensive early voting periods, no-excuse absentee voting, and same-day or automatic voter registration. For equally self-interested reasons, Republicans often oppose these measures and sometimes roll them back once implemented. The result of what UCLA law professor Richard Hasen has dubbed the “voting wars” is an illogical and confusing array of laws and practices that differ from place to place, and even from one election to the next.
