BALLOT BOX

Voting Laws Could Hurt Obama

New rules make registration more difficult.

Republican legislatures have passed voting laws that are supposed to fight fraud in a handful of states, but some say President Obama’s reelection bid may suffer as young and low-income voters find it more difficult to cast their ballots. Many of the laws require that voters show photo identification before voting. Bills under consideration in other states would make it more difficult for groups to register voters or make it impossible to register on Election Day at all. “The types of laws have varied, but state by state they’ve added up to the fact that it’s going to be harder for young people to get registered and vote in this election cycle,” said the president of Rock the Vote.