Integrity vs. access: Democrats and Republicans fight early and often over voting laws

Democrats and Republicans have opened a new front in the 2022 battle for control of Congress: competing to influence voting regulations in key states and tussling over how Americans cast their ballots.

The fight over elections usually comes after the vote, with the two major political parties and their affiliated campaigns going to court to contest the outcome or argue last-minute changes to standing law. However, that pattern has been turned upside down heading into the midterm elections. Democrats and Republicans plan to spend tens of millions of dollars to impact ballot access and how state and local governments administer elections.