Lawmakers in several Democratic-controlled states are advocating sweeping voter protections. It's a reaction to what they view as a broad undermining of voting rights by the Supreme Court and Republican-led states, as well as Congress' failure to bolster access to the polls. Lawmakers in Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and New Mexico have introduced voting rights measures. Michigan’s secretary of state is preparing a plan. The measures seek to enact on a statewide basis many of the protections under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. Many Democrats and voting rights groups say that landmark law is being stripped of its most important elements.