NPR

Voting And Elections Divide Republicans And Democrats Like Little Else. Here's Why

The two parties differ in the basic ways as to how they perceive and frame myriad aspects of practicing democracy, especially when it comes to voting.

Republicans and Democrats seldom agree on much in 21st century politics — but one issue that divides them more than ever may be voting and elections.

The parties didn't only battle about whether or how to enact new legislation following the Russian interference in the 2016 election. They differ in the basic ways they perceive and frame myriad aspects of practicing democracy.

Republicans' and Democrats' vastly different starting points help explain why the politics over voting and elections have been and likely will remain so fraught, through and beyond Election Day this year.

Sometimes it sounds like the politicians involved barely live in the same country. It has become common for one side to discount the legitimacy of a victory by the other.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has scrambled nearly everything about life in the United States, makes

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