Federal charges against North Carolina Voter ID Law

The Attorney General, Eric Holder, has announced that the Federal government will pursue action in the courts to prevent North Caronlina from enacting new and restrictive voter ID legislation The Voter Information Verification Act was signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory in August of this year. 

The law introduces a number of changes; early voting will be shortened by a week. All voters must present photo ID, unless having a photo taken violates religious rights or a declared natural disaster has occurred. In addition, voters can no longer register on the same day, voters can be challenged at the voting booths, and it will be illegal for voting stations to stay open longer than the posted hours (even if there is still a line).

Adam Serwer, of MSNBC, wrote an article on the 1^st of October about the details of the state law and the precedence the Court's decision will set. By selecting to insert the following quote from a pundit Serwer demonstrates that he understands what the audience at MSNBC wants to read.

“It’s a little hard for North Carolina to feign ignorance and pretend this was all the outcome of a neutral, rational legislative process,” says Brenda Wright, an election law expert with the liberal think tank Demos. “If you choose to carry out partisan ends by deliberately disenfranchising some voters of color, you can’t pretend that’s not discrimination.”

With all of these restrictions and because it was passed very shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling, it is no surprise that the administration decided to pursue challenges to the laws from North Carolina and Texas. In a statement Eric Holder describes the law as a burden primarily on the backs of minorities and as an effort to “contract the electorate.”

The Justice Department seeks to use Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to block the laws from being implemented. They will also request the implementation of Section 3, requiring the state to gain federal approval before initiating any other election laws.

The lawmakers in North Carolina claim the law was written to prevent fraud and ensure the “integrity” of the election process. The statement begs the question, what integrity is there in restricting a citizen's Constitutional Right? Serwer casts doubt on that claim with this statistic, “In 2012, according to NBC affiliate WNCN, voter fraud referrals accounted for 0.00174 percent of the ballots cast, and 0.000738 percent in 2010.”

The important precedent this decision will set may change the shape of our country's electorate dramatically, for better or worse.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/10/01/high-stakes-in-battle-over-north-carolinas-voter-id-law/