disenfranchise - verb

From the early indications, Americans are feeling enthusiastic about their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. The Supreme Court should encourage, not frustrate, that enthusiasm when it hears a challenge today to a harsh voter identification law adopted by Indiana. The law aims to be an anti-fraud measure, but its main impact will be to disenfranchise large numbers of registered voters. The court should not let it stand.

—Editorial New York Times, January 9, 2008