What you need to know about hotly debated US voting laws

A battle is unfolding between Democrats and Republicans over changes to voting access. Here’s what is being proposed.

As the fight over voting laws intensifies throughout the United States, Democrats and Republicans are defining it as an existential battle. In his first detailed speech on the issue as president, Joe Biden on Tuesday called Republican efforts to implement more restrictive voting laws “a new wave of voter suppression and raw and sustained election subversion”. Biden and his fellow Democrats also argue that these laws target and will disproportionately affect voters of colour. Republicans, however, say these measures are necessary to prevent voting fraud, something that former President Donald Trump continues to allege is widespread, contrary to the evidence and the opinions of numerous courts across the country.