In a decision that could effect voter ID laws in other states, a panel of three Democrat appointed judges of the 4th circuit court of appeals struck down North Carolina’s law that required a photo identification to vote claiming the law would “target African Americans with almost surgical precision”.
The judges also claimed the law was passed with “discriminatory intent” while lawmakers claimed the obvious, the law was passed to prevent voter fraud. The law had also banned early voting and same day registration. (I have no idea how such laws target one race and not another.) All provisions of the law have been struck down and will apply this November.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch, a party to the appeal, said,
“that the court described in its ruling as ‘one of the largest restrictions of the franchise in modern North Carolina history.’”
“And it sent a message that contradicted some of the most basic principles of our democracy,” Lynch said in her statement. “The ability of Americans to have a voice in the direction of their country – to have a fair and free opportunity to help write the story of this nation – is fundamental to who we are and who we aspire to be. Going forward, the Department of Justice will continue our work to protect that sacred right for all.”
Republican leaders in NC, Senate leader Phil Berger, a Republican from Rockingham County, and state House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican from Cleveland County, issued a joint statement questioning the motives of the three-judge panel,
“Since today’s decision by three partisan Democrats ignores legal precedent, ignores the fact that other federal courts have used North Carolina’s law as a model, and ignores the fact that a majority of other states have similar protections in place, we can only wonder if the intent is to reopen the door for voter fraud, potentially allowing fellow Democrat politicians like Hillary Clinton and Roy Cooper to steal the election. We will obviously be appealing this politically-motivated decision to the Supreme Court,”
Voter ID laws have also been struck down in Wisconsin and Texas. These decisions will help the Democrats in November when they are able to register more dead people to vote and encourage their voters to register to vote on election day from multiple residences.