Exemplifies the GOP's 'anti-democracy playbook': Expert blasts 'cynical' effort to suppress young voters

Historically, 50-and-over voters have been the most likely to show up on Election Day in the United States. But when younger voters do show up in big numbers, they can play an important role in an election's outcome.

In an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on December 18, Campaign Legal Center President Trevor Potter laments that Republicans have been going out of their way to make voting more difficult for younger voters — a move he slams as "cynical and shortsighted" and bad for democracy.

"Legislation enacted this year in Idaho and Ohio dropped student photo IDs — including even those issued by state institutions — from the list of acceptable voter identification," explains Potter, a former Federal Election Commissioner (FEC) chairman. "In Texas, a Republican lawmaker even tried to remove all polling places from college campuses. These efforts to stifle the voices of young voters aren't isolated, and no amount of lip service from the former president, (Donald Trump) can change that. They are a part of the modern anti-democracy playbook promoted by a coordinated and well-documented project."

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

Potter stresses that the U.S. needs to make it easier for Generation Z to vote — not more difficult.

"Embracing young voters is also the morally right thing to do," the former FEC chairman argues. "Young people go to school or work, pay taxes, need healthcare, and drive a car or use public transport. They deserve a say in how their communities are governed…. If our democratic republic is to survive this current authoritarian challenge — and not just survive, but thrive afterward — young voters need to know they belong in our democracy, too."

READ MORE: 'Holding things together by a thread': PA county election officials quit after 'being abused'

Read Trevor Potter's full article for The Bulwark at this link.