“The group analyzed provisional ballots cast during the 2014 election and concluded that 2,344 rejected ballots would have been counted if the new restrictions, such as eliminating same-day registration and out-of-precinct voting, were not in place”. Those other provisions were contested in a three-week trial last July. The judge has not yet issued a ruling on the July trial.
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Several recorded video depositions, combined with a live witness testifying that the voter ID law will harm black and Latino voters more than white even with new exceptions approved last summer, began the case by the state NAACP, U.S. Justice Department and voters.
Thomas Farr, a lawyer representing North Carolina, argued that there is no evidence that any resident of the state will be unable to vote under the photo-ID law.
Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, North Carolina was one of nine mostly Southern states that, due to their discrimination history, were required to receive federal approval before making changes in state voting laws. Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed the bills into law, also is a defendant. It was also stated that an amendment was made in June past year called the “reasonable impediment” which voters can use provided that they sign a form and provide their identification information at the polling location. Acceptable impediments include family responsibilities, lost or stolen IDs, work-schedule conflicts and transportation problems.
“There’s no doubt that the ID requirement disproportionately burdens the right to vote for voters of color in North Carolina”, Lieberman said. “If Texas and North Carolina are successful here, then I suspect other states will follow suit”.
“We are talking about a very, very small group of people that may not have ID”, Farr said in his opening statement, adding that polls showed a majority of the public wanted their elected officials to approve such a photo ID law. Eight states have strict photo-ID laws.
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Within weeks of the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, North Carolina passed its law. The trial is expected to conclude this week.
