Clemente Torres has proudly cast his vote in person at Dodge City's lone polling place in every election since he became a naturalized citizen 20 years ago.

This year is different.

After Republican officials said in September they would move the Hispanic-majority city's only polling place to a remote spot outside the city limits, across railroad tracks and away from bus lines, Torres decided to vote by mail.

"I wanted to be sure I could vote," said Torres, 57, who works at a meatpacking plant in this western Kansas city best known for its history as a Wild West outpost. "I didn't want to take any chances."

Torres and other voters interviewed by Reuters said they were worried voting would be more difficult at the new location. Some were skeptical of the official explanation: that construction will hinder access to the usual site.

The move sparked an outcry from voting rights groups that say Republicans are trying to limit Hispanic votes. The American Civil Liberties Union asked the courts to force Dodge City to open another polling site – a request denied by a judge on Thursday.

Democrats are mobilizing to rent vans, line up volunteers to drive people to the polls and set up a hotline to ask for rides.

Kansas is just one front in a broad national struggle over voting restrictions passed by Republicans, who say they are needed to combat voter fraud.

Democrats and advocacy groups are scrambling in courtrooms and on the ground to resist efforts they say will stack the deck against minority voters likely to back Democrats in next Tuesday's elections, where control of the US Congress will be at stake.

The national voting rights debate, which accelerated after the US Supreme Court struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, has been particularly intense this year in states with tight, high-stakes election races such as Kansas, Georgia, North Dakota and Tennessee.

"There are a lot of grim things happening, but people are awake and highly engaged to fight back on this issue," said Leah Aden, deputy director of litigation at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

'SLAP IN THE FACE'

On a recent afternoon in Dodge City, where about 60 percent of the 27,000 residents are Hispanic, many of the mostly Hispanic workers pouring out of a beef processing plant during a shift change were surprised to find a trio of Kansas Democrats waiting for them.

"Do you know your polling place has moved?" Democratic congressional candidate Alan LaPolice asked as he and two aides handed out more than 300 packets with bilingual information on where to vote and how to call for a ride to get there.

Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, 18, a first-time voter in November and a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit, said the new polling site would make it tough on people unable to get time off from work to vote, or had transportation or language issues.

"People can't just leave the plants to vote. You can't just run over on your lunch break," Rangel-Lopez said.

Suspicions about the motive behind the polling place change come naturally in Kansas, where Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, one of the country's foremost advocates of restrictive voting and immigration laws, is in a tight race for governor against Democrat Laura Kelly.

"This is a slap in the face to voters here," said Ford County Democratic Party Chairman Johnny Dunlap. "They should be making voting easier, not harder."

Debbie Cox, the Republican county clerk who ordered the move, declined requests for comment on her decision to set up a new polling place about 4 miles (6 km) from the old one.

But the state's elections director, who works under Kobach, said Cox chose the best available alternative with adequate parking and space.

'KOBACH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS'

"I have trouble understanding how this was voter suppression. There just weren't many options for polling sites that fit the criteria," Kansas Elections Director Bryan Caskey said. "I can say with 100 percent certainty that Secretary Kobach had nothing to do with this."

Kobach has relentlessly promoted theories about the threat of voter fraud and was a leader on President Donald Trump's disbanded election integrity commission formed to look into possible fraud in the 2016 election.

While Republicans say new voting restrictions such as tougher ID requirements and aggressive voter-roll purges are necessary to ensure honest elections or clean up voter rolls, independent studies have found that voter fraud is extremely rare.

Other states with major election races also have wrestled with voting rights issues. In North Dakota, where Democrat Heidi Heitkamp and Republican Kevin Cramer are in a close Senate race, Native American tribal leaders have mobilized to help up to 10,000 residents in rural reservations whose voting eligibility has been threatened by a state law requiring a residential street address on ID's.

Many reservation residents use post office boxes for mail delivery and do not have street addresses. The law, which Republicans said was aimed at fighting voter fraud, was passed after Heitkamp was elected to the Senate by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2012 with strong Native American support.

Precinct maps and satellite images of the state's five reservations are being used to help generate street addresses, which can be recorded and printed on tribal letterhead, said OJ Semans, co-executive director of Four Directions, a Native American voting rights group.

"This is about being pushed into a corner and having to fight back," Semans said. "We want to make sure the state thinks twice about doing something like this again."

Groups in Georgia sued to block Democrat Stacey Abrams' opponent for governor, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is also the state's top election official, from throwing out more than 50,000 voter registration applications put on hold under the state's "exact match" law requiring personal information on voter applications to match state databases.

The lawsuit alleged the vast majority of the disputed applications were from black voters.

Jimmy Carter, a former US president and Georgia governor, even weighed in, calling on Kemp to resign his post supervising elections. Kemp has refused to step down and says he is fairly applying Georgia's laws.

In Tennessee, home to another crucial US Senate race between Democrat Phil Bredesen and Republican Marsha Blackburn, a lawsuit by voting rights groups led a judge to order that people in majority-black Shelby County be allowed to fix their incomplete voter registration applications and vote.

Democrats in Tennessee have formed the first statewide voter protection team to watch for problems at the polls. Tennessee Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini calls them an "army of poll watchers."

Clemente Torres has proudly cast his vote in person at Dodge City's lone polling place in every election since he became a naturalized citizen 20 years ago. This year is different.

Clemente Torres has proudly cast his vote in person at Dodge City's lone polling place in every election since he became a naturalized citizen 20 years ago. This year is different. After Republican officials said in September they would move the Hispanic-majority city's only polling place to a remote spot outside the city limits, across railroad tracks and away from bus lines, Torres decided to vote by mail. "I wanted to be sure I could vote," said Torres, 57, who works at a meatpacking plant in this western Kansas city best known for its history as a Wild West outpost. "I didn't want to take any chances." Torres and other voters interviewed by Reuters said they were worried voting would be more difficult at the new location. Some were skeptical of the official explanation: that construction will hinder access to the usual site. The move sparked an outcry from voting rights groups that say Republicans are trying to limit Hispanic votes. The American Civil Liberties Union asked the courts to force Dodge City to open another polling site – a request denied by a judge on Thursday. Democrats are mobilizing to rent vans, line up volunteers to drive people to the polls and set up a hotline to ask for rides. Kansas is just one front in a broad national struggle over voting restrictions passed by Republicans, who say they are needed to combat voter fraud. Democrats and advocacy groups are scrambling in courtrooms and on the ground to resist efforts they say will stack the deck against minority voters likely to back Democrats in next Tuesday's elections, where control of the US Congress will be at stake. The national voting rights debate, which accelerated after the US Supreme Court struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, has been particularly intense this year in states with tight, high-stakes election races such as Kansas, Georgia, North Dakota and Tennessee. "There are a lot of grim things happening, but people are awake and highly engaged to fight back on this issue," said Leah Aden, deputy director of litigation at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Legal Defense and Educational Fund. 'SLAP IN THE FACE' On a recent afternoon in Dodge City, where about 60 percent of the 27,000 residents are Hispanic, many of the mostly Hispanic workers pouring out of a beef processing plant during a shift change were surprised to find a trio of Kansas Democrats waiting for them. "Do you know your polling place has moved?" Democratic congressional candidate Alan LaPolice asked as he and two aides handed out more than 300 packets with bilingual information on where to vote and how to call for a ride to get there. Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, 18, a first-time voter in November and a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit, said the new polling site would make it tough on people unable to get time off from work to vote, or had transportation or language issues. "People can't just leave the plants to vote. You can't just run over on your lunch break," Rangel-Lopez said. Suspicions about the motive behind the polling place change come naturally in Kansas, where Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, one of the country's foremost advocates of restrictive voting and immigration laws, is in a tight race for governor against Democrat Laura Kelly. "This is a slap in the face to voters here," said Ford County Democratic Party Chairman Johnny Dunlap. "They should be making voting easier, not harder." Debbie Cox, the Republican county clerk who ordered the move, declined requests for comment on her decision to set up a new polling place about 4 miles (6 km) from the old one. But the state's elections director, who works under Kobach, said Cox chose the best available alternative with adequate parking and space. 'KOBACH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS' "I have trouble understanding how this was voter suppression. There just weren't many options for polling sites that fit the criteria," Kansas Elections Director Bryan Caskey said. "I can say with 100 percent certainty that Secretary Kobach had nothing to do with this." Kobach has relentlessly promoted theories about the threat of voter fraud and was a leader on President Donald Trump's disbanded election integrity commission formed to look into possible fraud in the 2016 election. While Republicans say new voting restrictions such as tougher ID requirements and aggressive voter-roll purges are necessary to ensure honest elections or clean up voter rolls, independent studies have found that voter fraud is extremely rare. Other states with major election races also have wrestled with voting rights issues. In North Dakota, where Democrat Heidi Heitkamp and Republican Kevin Cramer are in a close Senate race, Native American tribal leaders have mobilized to help up to 10,000 residents in rural reservations whose voting eligibility has been threatened by a state law requiring a residential street address on ID's. Many reservation residents use post office boxes for mail delivery and do not have street addresses. The law, which Republicans said was aimed at fighting voter fraud, was passed after Heitkamp was elected to the Senate by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2012 with strong Native American support. Precinct maps and satellite images of the state's five reservations are being used to help generate street addresses, which can be recorded and printed on tribal letterhead, said OJ Semans, co-executive director of Four Directions, a Native American voting rights group. "This is about being pushed into a corner and having to fight back," Semans said. "We want to make sure the state thinks twice about doing something like this again." Groups in Georgia sued to block Democrat Stacey Abrams' opponent for governor, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is also the state's top election official, from throwing out more than 50,000 voter registration applications put on hold under the state's "exact match" law requiring personal information on voter applications to match state databases. The lawsuit alleged the vast majority of the disputed applications were from black voters. Jimmy Carter, a former US president and Georgia governor, even weighed in, calling on Kemp to resign his post supervising elections. Kemp has refused to step down and says he is fairly applying Georgia's laws. In Tennessee, home to another crucial US Senate race between Democrat Phil Bredesen and Republican Marsha Blackburn, a lawsuit by voting rights groups led a judge to order that people in majority-black Shelby County be allowed to fix their incomplete voter registration applications and vote. Democrats in Tennessee have formed the first statewide voter protection team to watch for problems at the polls. Tennessee Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini calls them an "army of poll watchers."

Ahead of US elections, fears of voter suppression and efforts to fight back

The US Congress easily passed a one-week stopgap spending bill Friday, assuring there is no embarrassing government shutdown on the 100th day of Donald Trump&#39;s presidency.

After weeks of tense negotiations over federal spending, the measure sailed through the House and Senate just hours before a midnight deadline.

It now heads to Trump&#39;s desk, and the president is expected to sign it later Friday.

The bill extends current funding levels until May 5, giving lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Congress one week of breathing room to hash out a measure that funds government operations through September, when the fiscal year ends.

With lawmakers mindful of the midnight deadline, the measure cleared the House of Representatives 382 to 30, with broad bipartisan support.

Minutes later, the Senate approved it by a simple voice vote.

Congressional leaders have said the two sides have made important progress on the broader spending bill and that an agreement was within reach.

&quot;But we shouldn&#39;t be in this situation,&quot; Senate Democrat Patrick Leahy said.

&quot;We shouldn&#39;t have allowed partisan politics once again to turn a looming deadline into a political standoff.&quot;

The temporary bill sets aside several contentious elements which have been the focus of bitter rhetorical feuding in recent days.

It leaves out funding for the wall that Trump has pledged to build on the southern US border with Mexico. Democrats have warned they will not support a funding measure that includes appropriations for the wall, but they are open to funding for broader border security elements.

The spending bill is also expected to continue to fund subsidies for low-income Americans purchasing health insurance as part of Obamacare.

Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi said the White House signaled &quot;they would be going forward with the cost-sharing funding,&quot; but the length of that funding remained unclear.&nbsp;

&quot;Not all the poison pill riders have been eliminated, some have. A good number have,&quot; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, referring to controversial provisions that could sink the legislation.

&quot;We&#39;re willing to extend things for a little bit more time in hopes that the same kind of progress can continue to be made, but we still have a little bit of a ways to go.&quot;

Trump had been seeking a major legislative victory to cap his first 100 days in office, but it has proved elusive.

His White House had been pushing hard for Congress to ram through a bill that repeals much of the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care reforms of Trump&#39;s predecessor.

Republicans this week resurrected their health bill after initial efforts collapsed last month, when party moderates and conservatives failed to unite on how to repeal Obamacare. They want to replace it with a measure that lowers premiums and other costs and does not leave millions uninsured.

After flirting with a vote on the new measure this week -- a move that angered Democrats -- Republicans backed away, acknowledging they were shy of the votes needed to get them across the finish line.

(AFP)

After weeks of tense negotiations over federal spending, the measure sailed through the House and Senate just hours before a midnight deadline

The US Congress easily passed a one-week stopgap spending bill Friday, assuring there is no embarrassing government shutdown on the 100th day of Donald Trump's presidency. After weeks of tense negotiations over federal spending, the measure sailed through the House and Senate just hours before a midnight deadline. It now heads to Trump's desk, and the president is expected to sign it later Friday. The bill extends current funding levels until May 5, giving lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Congress one week of breathing room to hash out a measure that funds government operations through September, when the fiscal year ends. With lawmakers mindful of the midnight deadline, the measure cleared the House of Representatives 382 to 30, with broad bipartisan support. Minutes later, the Senate approved it by a simple voice vote. Congressional leaders have said the two sides have made important progress on the broader spending bill and that an agreement was within reach. "But we shouldn't be in this situation," Senate Democrat Patrick Leahy said. "We shouldn't have allowed partisan politics once again to turn a looming deadline into a political standoff." The temporary bill sets aside several contentious elements which have been the focus of bitter rhetorical feuding in recent days. It leaves out funding for the wall that Trump has pledged to build on the southern US border with Mexico. Democrats have warned they will not support a funding measure that includes appropriations for the wall, but they are open to funding for broader border security elements. The spending bill is also expected to continue to fund subsidies for low-income Americans purchasing health insurance as part of Obamacare. Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi said the White House signaled "they would be going forward with the cost-sharing funding," but the length of that funding remained unclear. "Not all the poison pill riders have been eliminated, some have. A good number have," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, referring to controversial provisions that could sink the legislation. "We're willing to extend things for a little bit more time in hopes that the same kind of progress can continue to be made, but we still have a little bit of a ways to go." Trump had been seeking a major legislative victory to cap his first 100 days in office, but it has proved elusive. His White House had been pushing hard for Congress to ram through a bill that repeals much of the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care reforms of Trump's predecessor. Republicans this week resurrected their health bill after initial efforts collapsed last month, when party moderates and conservatives failed to unite on how to repeal Obamacare. They want to replace it with a measure that lowers premiums and other costs and does not leave millions uninsured. After flirting with a vote on the new measure this week -- a move that angered Democrats -- Republicans backed away, acknowledging they were shy of the votes needed to get them across the finish line. (AFP)

US Congress averts shutdown, passing stopgap spending bill

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Ahead of US elections, fears of voter suppression and efforts to fight back

US Congress averts shutdown, passing stopgap spending bill