A three-person panel in the North Carolina Superior Court has ruled 2: 1 to permanently block the state voter identification act as it targets African Americans.
The majority of the court wrote:
The majority of this three-judge panel believe the evidence in the trial is sufficient to show that the passage of SB 824 was motivated, at least in part, by an unconstitutional intent to attack African American voters. With this conclusion we find that no member of the General Assembly who voted for SB 824 has any racist animus or hatred towards African American voters, but rather, like HB 589, that the Republican majority “aims”.[ed] Voters who, because of their race, are unlikely to vote for the majority party. Even if it is done for partisan purposes, it is[s] Racial Discrimination. “
This is an important decision for North Carolina voters to serve as an example for other challenges in other states. Not all voter identification laws are inherently racist, but Republicans have mastered the dark art of weaponizing voter ID laws to target specific groups of voters.
It is crucial that the plaintiffs did not have to show any racist intentions, but that the law itself affects one electoral race more than another.
Not every state can be relied on to rely on the courts to protect the right to vote, but a combination of new state voting laws and judicial challenges can protect the right to vote for all.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also the White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
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