North Carolina: Asheville-area politicians weigh in on North Carolina voter ID bill | The Asheville Citizen-Times
Debate over legislation requiring voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot has been passionate, with the House Republican majority prevailing on the bill.
But experts like Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, question whether the law’s impact will match the rhetoric’s heat.
The GOP contends the measure is needed to root out voter fraud and keep elections honest, while Democrats maintain it’s a politically motivated scheme to disenfranchise voters who traditionally vote Democratic.
“I think the evidence from people who have studied this is that maybe both sides exaggerate the effect,” Knotts said.