The North Carolina General Assembly has passed the laughably named “Restore Confidence in Government Act” voter ID bill. The legislation would require voters to show government-issued photo ID before casting their ballots and force 460,000 currently registered voters without an approved form of ID to devote needless time and expense to exercise their right to vote.
With this bill, I do feel more confident than ever . . . that fewer people will be able to vote for the public servants that are supposed to represent their values and their communities. Fortunately, my cynicism about political motives has been completely restored.
The legislation has been whisked off to the Governor’s desk. She is expected to veto the bill.
As if some North Carolina politicians weren’t satisfied with the disenfranchisement of seniors, poor people, minorities, young voters, and people with disabilities through their restrictive photo ID bill, another terrible bill should reach the House sometime today.
Senate Bill 47, pumped up on suppression steroids, is an attempt to repeal Same Day Registration, ban straight-ticket voting, shorten the early-voting period by a week, and ban early voting on Sundays (the much-beloved “souls to the polls”!). This one looks like it is on the fast track to the Governor’s desk, too.
When you break these bills down, there are serious effects for any voter not able to immediately produce photo ID, take time off work or school, and drive themselves to the poll on a Tuesday. In North Carolina, 2.6 million citizens used early voting to vote before Election Day in 2008. The bill would cut the 16-day early voting period back a week. If the deadline for voter registration slipped by, you will not be able to register the day you vote, a service used by 253,000 voters in 2008.
This bill, if passed, could be just as damaging as the photo ID bill. This legislation would change voting from your constitutional right to a hassling privilege. And though we expect the Governor to veto this bill, too, you just never know what will happen.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Governor Perdue to veto these bills today.
Tags: Beverly Perdue, north carolina, photo ID, same day registration, suppression is un-American, veto
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Becca Ward Bio: Duke University, Class of 2012 Majoring in Public Policy, Certificate in Energy and the Environment From Portland, Oregon. Aquarius @BeccawkWard Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
Ms. Ward,
Great Article!
Seriously North Carolina? What is the point of putting larger restrictions on voting, when it is already so difficult to get people to vote? Bill 47 sounds like nothing more than an attempt to hinder the rights of the American people.
I agree with you completely Becca, well said.