The law “was motivated at least in part by an unconstitutional intent to target African American voters,” the judges ruled in a 100-page majority opinion.
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina judges struck down the state’s latest photo voter identification law on Friday, agreeing with minority voters thatTwo of the three trial judges declared the December 2018 law is unconstitutional, even though it was designed to implement a photo voter ID mandate added to the North Carolina Constitution in a referendum just weeks earlier. They said the law intentionally discriminates against Black voters, violating their equal protections.
With a similar lawsuit in federal court set to go to trial this January and another state court lawsuit now on appeal, it’s looking more unlikely that a voter ID mandate for in-person and absentee balloting will happen in the 2022 elections. In July, 2016, a federal appeals court struck down several portions of a 2013 North Carolina elections law that included a voter ID mandate, saying GOP lawmakers had written them with “almost surgical precision” to discourage voting by Black voters, who tend to support Democrats.
The categories of qualifying IDs were greatly expanded compared to the 2013 law to include college student and government-employee IDs. Free IDs also are available from county elections boards or at early-voting sites, and people without IDs can still vote if they fill out a form at the voting precinct.
But the majority on the panel decided that the changes didn’t eliminate fully the racial bias and permanently blocked enforcement of the ID law.About three dozen states have laws requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls, and about half of these states want photo ID only, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
North Carolina judges strike down state’s voter ID lawRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina judges struck down the state’s latest photo voter identification law on Friday, agreeing with minority voters that Republicans rammed through rules tainted by racial bias as a way to remain in power.
Read more »
24 Attorneys General Ask Court To Block Texas Abortion BanThe Biden administration has filed a request for the court to strike down the law while their lawsuit against it moves forward.
Read more »
California recall: What exit polls tell us about the state’s LGBTQ votersLGBTQ voters voted against recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom by a greater margin than the state's voters overall.
Read more »
Police make arrest in 2012 murder of college student at North CarolinaChapel Hill (N.C.) police charged Miguel Enrique Olivares in the 2012 homicide of 19-year-old University of North Carolina student Faith Hedgepeth.
Read more »
Man charged in 2012 beating death of UNC-Chapel Hill student Faith HedgepethChapel Hill police announced Miguel Enrique Olivares, of Durham, was arrested in connection to the beating death of University of North Carolina Faith Hedgepeth.
Read more »
British people have become startlingly less xenophobicSince Britain left the EU, voters have calmed down about immigration
Read more »