Effect of voting laws seen, but not enough to sway outcome

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fourteen states had new voting or registration restrictions in place for the 2016 presidential election, raising concerns that minority voters in particular would have a harder time accessing the ballot box.

Voting experts believe the laws had some effect on turnout this year, but said it would be difficult to measure against other factors — such as a lack of enthusiasm for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton and the decision of many people simply not to vote.

In one case, she picked up a 99-year-old retired university professor named Fred at his polling place and drove him to a DMV office so he could get his photo ID.

The 2016 election was the first without a key enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act that had required some states and counties to receive approval before enacting new election laws.

Even though court decisions have rolled back some of the more far-reaching restrictions, civil rights groups were concerned that confusion over the laws could deter voters.

In North Carolina, voter ID requirements and early voting reductions were struck down after a federal appeals court said they "target African Americans with almost surgical precision."

After some North Carolina counties reduced hours and polling places during the first week of early voting, one researcher found black turnout was down 13 percent compared with the 2012 election.