DOJ to Sue North Carolina Over Voter ID Law and Voting Restrictions

The Justice Department is planning to sue the state of North Carolina over its voter ID law and voting restrictions today.

"Today's action marks another step forward in the Justice Department's continuing effort to protect the voting rights of all eligible Americans," Attorney General Eric Holder said at the time. "We will not allow the Supreme Court's recent decision to be interpreted as open season for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights."

The lawsuit being filed today seeks to block North Carolina four provisions of the voting law, known as House Bill 589 from:

- Eliminating the first seven days of early voting

- Eliminating same-day voter registration during the early voting period

- Requiring voters to have a valid North Carolina driver's license, U.S. passport, military ID, or state-issued ID from the Department of Motor Vehicles to cast a ballot.

- Prohibiting the counting of provisional ballots that are cast in the right county but the wrong precinct.

DOJ will also ask a federal judge to force the state to seek permission from the Justice Department or in federal court to make changes to its voting laws and procedures, using the bail-in process under Section 3 of the Voting Rights Act.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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VA Passes New Voter ID Law

Virgina's Governor, Bob McDonnell, has signed new voter suppression legislation into law.

It will bar bank statements, cable bills, utility bills, and government-issued Social Security cards, as forms of valid voting ID.

“I think it is going to disenfranchise many eligible voters, and I’m particularly concerned about the poor and the elderly,” said Jennifer L. McClellan, a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, in an interview with BET.com.

McClellan, who represents Richmond in the legislature, said that the law would require many Virginians to incur costs for having to get identification. “To me, it’s the same as a poll tax,” she said. “Even if it disenfranchises one voter — and Virginia has a history of disenfranchising people of color — one voter is one too many."

Before the new rules can become effective, the state is required to get approval from the Department of Justice under the Federal Voting Rights Act, Section 5.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
Technorati Tag in Del.icio.us