Our democracy is under attack from within. Republicans (and it seems to be just Republicans) appear determined to deny citizens their constitutional right to vote. Oddly enough, those whose rights are being curtailed are disproportionately Democratic. The GOP view seems to be, “If you can’t win fair and square, change the rules – even cheat.”

Since 2010, 16 states have passed restrictions that could affect Election 2012. The abuses of democracy come in several forms. Ohio and Florida, among others, reduced early voting just as more and more citizens were availing themselves of that opportunity. Both states cut the number of early-voting days almost in half. Why? Florida’s former Republican chairman swore in court documents that suppressing the African-American vote was discussed by officials.

Perhaps the most insidious weapon in the arsenal of those seeking to undermine the legitimacy of our elections is so-called “voter ID laws,” which require citizens to show government-issued (usually photo) identification in order to cast a ballot. Before 2006, not one state ever imposed such requirements. Now they are on the books in 10 states.

Defenders argue (wrongly) that one needs a photo ID to drive a car or get on a plane. The problem: Some 11 percent of voters, or about 21 million people, don’t have photo IDs – including 18 percent of senior citizens and 25 percent of African-Americans. These folks don’t have a constitutional right to drive a car or get on a plane. However, our Constitution does guarantee that their right to vote shall not be abridged.

Moreover, the problem is concentrated in particular segments of the electorate. Pennsylvania recently announced that 9 percent of registered voters statewide did not have the required photo ID, compared to 18 percent of Philadelphians. Independent analysis suggests that as many as 43 percent of Philadelphia voters will be prevented from casting ballots because of the new law. Guess how Philadelphians tend to vote. I’ll bet the Republican governor and the Republican Legislature had no idea when they passed this law