North Carolina moved closer late tonight to passing a massive 56-page vote suppression law Here is the latest version of the bill. You see, photo ID isn’t the half of it. This vast 56-page bill is geared toward keeping Dems from ever winning again.
The irony of “Welcome to North Carolina” is amazing. As I write this, North Carolina’s controlling party conspires to destroy democracy for those living here now and in the future, indeed for all time. The state I love and reside in is lost. I am not an Eric Holder fan but today I say TGFEH. After Texas, come on down to NC.
Here’s what the News and Observer says about the effort:
Voting statistics in North Carolina show Democrats are more likely to vote early and vote straight ticket, two of the practices targeted by the bill. A state study also estimated more than 300,000 registered voters lack driver’s licenses or other forms of state-issued ID, most of them elderly or low-income minorities. A Democratic amendment to add student ID cards from universities and community colleges was rebuffed.
Read more here.
I will write in more detail when the final bill passes, but so far this is what is included (You have to read the length and breadth of this to believe it):
*Allows vigilante vote suppressionists whether the GOP, True the Vote or vengeful individuals to challenge any voter from voting. Anyone who resides within one’s county may challenge a voter’s right to vote at the polls. Can you imagine what voting will be like with the Tea Party vote suppressionists of 2012 enabled by this law?
*Expands the scope of when voters may be challenged and purged.
*Purges voters more frequently (at least twice a year).
*Cuts number of early voting days from 17 to 10, while keeping number of hours total the same.
*Changes rules for special elections.
*Ends same-day registration.
*Eliminates language assuring the voter can verify their vote before casting it (we were previously able to print a complete ballot from a voting machine and then handle it (and even check it before putting it in the vote counting machine).
*Another provision on P 42 appears to eliminate paper ballots altogether, thus eliminating a paper trail.
*Eliminates straight ticket voting. When there are many races including federal, state and local candidates, voters can save time by voting for all state races by marking one box. More Dems than Republicans vote straight ticket.
* Raises to $5,000 the amount candidates can solicit from voters per individual per candidate, but essentially allow any amount of donation.
*Eliminates limits on corporate donations to candidates.
*Repeals the requirement for candidate to stand by their ads.
*Allows attack ads without providing the attacking organization must identify itself.
*Forbids polls from staying open longer for unusual circumstances. Voters can vote if they are already in line when polls close.
*Eliminates pre-registration of 16 and 17 year olds.
*Requires photo ID
*Bans student IDs from state colleges or private universities for identification. Also bans local government Ids.
*Eliminates provisional ballots.
*Eliminates paid voter registration drives -paying per registration (the only thing I agree with).
*Moves up primary day for North Carolina. God forbid it should be last in absolutely everything.
*Eliminates instant runoffs for judicial races.
* Eliminates public funding of judicial races. Better to have judges owned by corporations! (Snark.)
It pains me to once again have to say, don’t North Carolina Virginia. Of course, some of the 21st Century improvements now being eliminated have never been part of Virginia’s voting. Even so, North Carolina now moves to the bottom in terms of nearly everything. As Ari Berman says, this is a four-step plan. You win with buckets of corporate money, you severely gerrymander the districts, you do corporate bidding and try via voter laws to keep voters from ever voting you out.
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