Earlier this week, a North Carolina appeals court ruled against the state’s newest voter photo identification law. You may recall the voter ID law was approved in 2018, when 55% of voters approved a constitutional amendment to require folks to show a photo ID when voting. However, as we pointed out in our in-depth guide to voting in + around Buncombe County, a photo ID isn’t necessary to vote in the 2020 primaries, thanks to a Dec. 2019 federal court ruling that stated N.C. voters would not be required to show a photo ID to vote. Now, the law has been blocked indefinitely.
Why did the appeals court block the new voter ID law from taking place? According to the court, the law “likely will have a negative impact on African Americans because they lack acceptable IDs at a greater rate than white voters.” This echoes what Governor Roy Cooper argued when he vetoed the bill: It would negatively affect poor, minority, and/or elderly voters. The judges also argued that failing to block the vote could discourage voting by confusing voters on what is required to cast a ballot.
This isn’t the first time the Tarheel State has been scrutinized + criticized for its voter ID laws. A similar voter ID law was passed in 2013 before being thrown out in 2016.
So what now? The court issued a preliminary injunction, which blocks the law from going into effect while the lawsuit is still underway. Should the case still be in the courts come the 2020 general election in November, voters will not be required to show a photo ID then. The ruling doesn’t change the current process for early in-person voting, so to paraphrase the popular meme, keep calm + carry on voting.
