A federal court is scheduled to hear a legal challenge to North Carolina’s Voter ID law on Monday. The law, H.B. 589, enacted in August 2013 shortens the early voting period by one week, eliminates same day registration, requires specific forms of identification to vote, and cancels a pre-registration program for 16 and 17-year-olds. … Restrictive voter laws have been a controversial issue for the last two presidential elections. More than 32 states have voter ID laws or restrictive measures of some form. North Carolina is scheduled to join them in 2016. All of the new measures have been introduced and implemented by Republican-led state legislatures and governors. Supporters say the laws are necessary to battle fraud and build confidence in the electoral process. Critics argue the laws disproportionately discourage minorities, the poor, senior citizens and young people – those who are more likely to vote Democratic – from voting.
“The right to vote is supposed to be constitutional, not confusing,“ said the Rev. Dr. William Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the National Association For the Advancement of Colored People. “North Carolina’s restrictive Voter ID law remains an immoral and unconstitutional burden on voters and creates two unequal tiers of voters.”
The North Carolina law faced its first legal challenge in July of 2015. Fearing the law would not hold up in court, the legislature quickly passed a modification watering down the voter ID provision several weeks before the trial. The court postponed a ruling on the voter ID portion of the law to allow further review, but proceeded regarding the other provisions, which were upheld. The court will hear arguments on the voter ID requirement next week.
Full Article: North Carolina Case Puts Voter ID Laws Back in Spotlight.