Today, an exhaustingly restrictive election bill is being debated by the North Carolina Senate Rules Committee.
Initially a strict voter ID bill that “could disenfranchise 318,000 registered voters who don’t have the narrow forms of accepted state-issued ID,” the bill has been amended to add more restrictive measures. House Bill 589 would additionally revoke or debilitate important voting access policies that the state has enjoyed for years, including early voting, same day registration, and preregistration of young citizens.
Other proposed restrictions include:
- expanding authorization of vigilante poll watchers and vote challengers;
- repealing state-mandated high school voter registration drives;
- eliminating straight-ticket voting;
- increasing campaign contributions; and many more.
The bill will be heard today by the Senate Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee in 504 LOB at 2:00 p.m. ET.
UPDATE: Project Vote Executive Director Michael Slater issued a statement on HB 589 here.
Photo by Mr. T in DC/Creative Commons license