Legislators Battle Whether to Restrict or Expand Voting In the aftermath of the 2020 election, voting rights are on the minds of legislators who have introduced hundreds of bills that either restrict or expand how voters can cast their ballots. Carl Smith, Senior Staff Writer | March 3, 2021 | Analysis The mechanics of election administration became a national obsession in 2020. Whether from pre- and post-election disinformation about fraud or the efforts of public officials and private-sector groups to help voters during the pandemic, passions over election integrity have soared since the November presidential election. They reached a fever pitch following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and in the weeks since, hundreds of bills have been put forward in state legislatures in the name of election reform.