Today, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed one of the nation’s most sweeping voter suppression laws.
The new law (HB 589/Chapter SL 2013-381) features a variety of detrimental provisions that will block eligible citizens from registering to vote and casting a ballot in the state. These provisions include:
- a restrictive photo voter ID requirement;
- the elimination of pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds;
- the elimination of same-day voter registration;
- the reduction of early voting by one week;
- the elimination of the mandate for high schools to conduct voter registration drives; and
- increased leniency for voter suppression groups like True the Vote to challenge and intimidate voters at the polls.
“The move is likely to touch off a major court battle over voting rights, and the Justice Department is weighing a challenge to the new law,” the Washington Post reports.
Photo by Hal Goodtree via Creative Commons license