Trial to begin for lawsuit over ID requirement provision in North Carolina Voter ID Law

The legality of acquiring a valid photo identification requirement in the 2013 North Carolina law will go on a trial before the federal court on Monday. A decision must be reached before the March presidential primaries.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, a trial is set to begin on Monday regarding an amendment in the 2013 law signed by Republican Gov. Patrick McCrory that prohibits people without one of the six required ID to vote. Such law reportedly earned lawsuits from  U.S. Justice Department, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and others claiming that the law affects minority voters who are less likely to have the requirements that are needed to get the required IDs.

The lawsuits were eventually consolidated into one case which is closely being watched by the state. As reported by News Observer, an attorney for the state NAACP, Denise Lieberman. said that the move burdens the voters of color in the state,

"There's no doubt that the ID requirement disproportionately burdens the right to vote for voters of color in North Carolina", Lieberman said.

According to The Washington Post, the law also included several changes in the voting system such as the reduction of number of days of early voting, prohibition of registering and voting on the same day, invalidation of the ballots cast in the wrong precinct and prohibition of pre-registering teenagers before they turn 18.

Gov. McCrory and North Carolina Department of Justice asserted that the passing of the bill in 2013 was in order to keep prevent voter fraud. It was also stated that an amendment was made in June last year called the "reasonable impediment" which voters can use provided that they sign a form and provide their identification information at the polling location.

However, the amendment is still being questioned as state officials haven't properly educated the voters on the "reasonable impediment" and it will depend on the poll worker's discretion. U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder gave both sides of the case until February 11 to provide further records for the lawsuit before he give the final decision.

Schroeder is also yet to give the final decision on other provisions of the law that were put on trial last year.

Tags

North Carolina, North Carolina State, north carolina voters, north carolina voter ID, North Carolina 2013 voting law, NAACP, US District Judge Thomas Schroeder

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