While a surge of unexpected Donald Trump supporters flipped some Rust Belt states red, voter suppression measures may have also contributed to a depressed Democratic turnout.
Ohio and Wisconsin, which saw drops in overall voter numbers since 2012 despite working class white support for Republicans, also enacted laws restricting voters’ ability to cast ballots.
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A lack of enthusiasm among Democrats may be partly to blame for fewer voters in places such as Milwaukee County, though some suggest that Republican-led restrictions on voters functioned as intended.
“It’s undeniable that there is an effect [from new voting laws]. The people that enact these laws know what they’re doing,” said Gerry Hebert, the director of voting rights and redistricting at the Campaign Legal Center.
Wisconsin, which went for Trump by about 30,000 votes, saw only 2.8 million votes cast this year as opposed to more than 3 million in 2012.
The state also has one of the most well-known voter ID laws, requiring photo identification to vote.
Measures like Wisconsin’s are seen as disproportionately affecting minority voters like those in Milwaukee County, where turnout was more than 50,000 votes less than it was four years ago.
Core parts of the law were struck down by a federal court this summer, but upheld on appeal in August.
Other battleground states have less strict laws that still impact certain demographic group’s ability to vote, such as Ohio, where Trump won by 400,000 votes.
The 50,000 fewer voters, which would not have closed Clinton’s gap, included drops in places such as Cleveland’s heavily Democratic Cuyahoga County.
Ohio allows voters without ID to vote only on provisional ballots, though Hebert said that national data from previous elections show that only 10 to 15% of those who cast provisional ballots end up certifying their eligibility through the local registrar in time for their votes to be counted.
He added that a raft of legislation, such as an Ohio law purging some voters from rolls because of inactivity that was overturned earlier this year, can generally decrease the number of people exercising their right to vote.
A provision eliminating the “Golden Week,” a period when voters could both register to vote and vote early in Ohio, was upheld by the Supreme Court.
“The cumulative effect of all that on the voter psyche is very damaging. Voters feel they are targets and they are being targeted intentionally,” Hebert said.
The former Justice Department lawyer also said that even if laws are challenged and struck down in court, people not up to date with the news may not realize that legislation such as the Ohio voter purge is no longer in effect.
A strict voter ID law in North Carolina, which went for Trump by about 170,000 votes and saw an increase in turnout since 2012, was struck down by a federal judge earlier this year.
The Tar Heel State also had restrictions on early voting, which led the state’s Republican Party to praise the fact that black early voting was down 8.5% as an “encouraging” sign.
Florida, which Trump won by 120,000 votes, has been criticized for cutting the early voting period and restricting voter registration drives.