North Carolina: Latest version of proposed North Carolina voter ID bill restricts forms of ID | Sun Journal

House Republicans have thrown another twist in a proposal to require North Carolina voters to provide a photo ID when they go to the polls.

They abandoned an earlier version that would have allowed citizens to show a voter registration card or other approved documents, such as a utility bill or a paycheck, in favor of a strict government issued photo identification card.

“The bill we discussed earlier today was an attempt at a compromise that might have garnered some support from the other side of the aisle,” said Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, a primary sponsor of the bill. “Unfortunately that did not work.”

North Carolina: Republican lawmakers roll out new voter ID bill in North Carolina | San Antonio Express-News

Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly have rolled out a new version of a bill that would require voters to show identification before they cast a ballot — a proposal they hope will attract support from some Democrats and Gov. Beverly Perdue.

A measure unveiled Tuesday in the House budget-writing committee would still require potential voters to show one of eight forms of photo ID. They could also offer their voter registration card, utility bill, pay stub or bank statement, but precinct officials would match a person’s signature against voter rolls before a ballot is accepted immediately.

North Carolina: Lawmakers wrestle with early voting cutoff in North Carolina | The Charlotte Post

The North Carolina Senate will soon decide how early “early voting” can be. The state House has passed its version of a bill to reduce the amount of time polling sites can be open before elections by one week. Republican backers of the idea suggest it will save county governments money, but the people who administer the elections say it would actually cost more.

Bev Cunningham, director of the Henderson County Board of Elections in Hendersonville, says her staff would be much busier for a shorter time period.

”I think if this passed, what we would have to see in Henderson County is probably more early voting sites to handle the number of voters that are accustomed to voting this way,” she said. “They like being able to choose around their work schedule, or just schedule in general, to come vote.”

North Carolina: Shorter early voting costlier | The Charlotte Observer

A bill that would shorten North Carolina’s early voting period would create longer lines at the polls and increase the cost of elections, the executive director of the state elections board said Wednesday. Gary Bartlett’s comments came in a memo shortly after the House narrowly passed the measure that would reduce the current 21/2-week early…

North Carolina: North Carolina Senate bill seeks to cripple one-stop early voting | The Wilmington Journal

A Republican-sponsored NC Senate bill, SB 657, has been introduced that, if enacted, would severely cripple the state’s One Stop Early Voting/Same-day Voter Registration law that helped President Barack Obama win North Carolina in 2008. Indeed, the bill would eliminate same-day registration, an important tool of voter empowerment for communities of color, proponents say. The goal,…

North Carolina: Is that ID on the up and up? | News-Record.com

There was a lively discussion on our letters blog today about the proposed Voter ID bill. Supporters of the measure simply can’t understand why anyone would see a problem with requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls. Joyce McCloy of the N.C. Coalition for Verified Voting didn’t weigh in there, but she…