American voting laws a concern for Democrat candidates

Like land mines under America’s political landscape, laws making it more difficult to vote in over 20 states are causing growing concern as the presidential election nears. 

The measures, which include shorter voting hours, restrictions on voter registration drives, and tough ID requirements, are seen by Republican-led state legislatures as necessary to counter fraud.

But Democrats say they are aimed at hobbling minority voters like African-Americans and Hispanics, who tend to vote Democratic, and are a throwback to the dark days of the pre-civil rights era. President Barack Obama, in a radio address earlier this year, called the restrictions “a disgrace”.