Another defeat for North Carolina's voter ID law
A second court has temporarily blocked North Carolina’s new voter ID law, ruling that race was a “primary motivating factor” behind the controversial legislation.
More specifically, a three-judge panel of the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that Senate Bill 824 was written with an “intention to target African American voters.”
With Tuesday’s ruling, opponents of the voter ID law said it was unlikely that identification documents will be required of North Carolina voters when they go to the polls in November.
What it matters: Some consider North Carolina to be a swing state in presidential elections. Donald Trump won the state in 2016 with 49.8% of the ballots cast -- beating Hillary Clinton by 173,315 votes.
With its 17 electoral votes, the state is considered a must-win for Trump, who will be nominated for a second term at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, scheduled for August 24-27.
An uphill fight: The voter ID law was written by Republicans and passed by Republicans over Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto after voters amended the state’s constitution to require identification for voters seeking to cast a ballot. Since then, the legal battles have been fought mainly over the law’s constitutionality and what forms of photo ID would be accepted.
Opponents say the law was written to exclude many forms of ID disproportionately held by Black voters, making it racially discriminatory. The law also took aim at students, making it harder for those attending private universities to use their student IDs.
The voter ID law already was under a temporary block after a federal court ruled in a separate lawsuit that some provisions of the law violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. That injunction was set to last at least through next month’s primary elections, when North Carolina voters will go to the polls March 3 as part of Super Tuesday.
Uncertain future: Even if the federal injunction is lifted, such a ruling would not be expected to impact the state court’s ruling. The state appeals court judges said their injunction would stand until the case is decided, presumably well after the November election. The judges also expressed concern that changing voter ID requirements between now and November would lead to voter confusion and “a strong potential to negatively impact voter turnout.”
The bottom line: Injunctions notwithstanding, state GOP leaders vowed Tuesday to continue the fight. “...we will not be deterred by judicial attempts to suppress the people’s voice in the democratic process,” House Speaker Tim Moore said in a statement Tuesday. [Glenn Burkins]
Editor’s Note: Learn more about the roots of voter suppression in North Carolina at a special community discussion hosted by QCity Metro. Register here.
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Easing the cost of higher education: Three Charlotte-area teens were surprised with the top academic scholarship award during Hampton University’s annual Honors Visitation Weekend. Jordan Bratton, Elizabeth Rainey and Timothy Reid were among the high schoolers who attended the historically Black university’s invite-only weekend last fall in Virginia.
During a scholarship gala, school officials announced the trio would receive a $36,000 award.
Why it matters: Nearly 8 in 10 families weigh financial considerations than academic considerations when choosing a school, according to a 2019 Sallie Mae study.
Read the full story. [Katrina Louis]
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Q&A with David Zucchino: As a newspaper reporter in the 1980s and ‘90s, David Zucchino earned a reputation (and a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing) as one of the leading storytellers in daily journalism.
These days, when he’s not working as a contributing writer for The New York Times, he’s out on tour promoting his latest book, “Wilmington’s LIE: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy.”
Zucchino will be in Charlotte on Feb. 20, a guest of QCity Metro, to take part in a community discussion about events in 1898 and their reverberations in today’s political climate.
Read what he said about voter suppression and writing his book. [Glenn Burkins]
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A message from today's sponsor: Arts & Science Council
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Your Input is Important
ASC is conducting a public input survey to learn more about Mecklenburg County residents’ priorities for arts and cultural investments.
Your input will help us explore ways to strengthen and improve access to our community’s many arts, science and history assets and positively impact members of our community.
This community engagement effort is being conducted in partnership with UNC Charlotte's Urban Institute, and with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
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Win Free Tickets
One lucky winner will win 2 tickets to the all-new production of "The Color Purple," March 23-26 at Ovens Auditorium. Enter our drawing
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