Activists sue to overturn N.C. voter suppression law

26th August 2013   ·   0 Comments

By Cash Michaels
Contributing Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (Special to the NNPA from The Carolinian Newspaper) — When Gov. Pat McCrory signed House Bill 589 last week, the controversial Voter Information Verification Act, he said in an op-ed published in The News and Observer, “The common sense election reforms I just signed into law will protect the integrity of one of the most precious rights guaranteed in our state constitution, the right to vote.”

But the ink from the Republican governor’s signature was barely dry before a litany of progressive civil rights groups, led by the North Carolina NAACP, were lining up at the federal courthouse door, filing separate lawsuits to stop what they say are unconstitutional “voter suppression” measures to impose unwarranted voter photo ID, and end same day voter registration, Sunday voting, straight-ticket voting and pre-voter registration for 16- and 17-year-olds.

“The NC NAACP, on behalf of all our branches and members, filed a complaint, along with (92-year-old) Mrs. Rosanell Eaton, and other plaintiffs…against the Gov­er­nor of North Carolina in Middle District Federal Court,” Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP, told reporters at the group’s Durham headquarters.

“The legal challenge is filed by the North Carolina NAACP,” Rev. Barber continued. “It charges that the law violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans voting procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups. The suit also challenges the law under the 14th and 15th Amendments of the U.S. Consti­tution.”

“This bill is not just about voter ID requirements,” Rev. Barber maintained. “It is 57 pages of re­gressive, unconstitutional acts to rig and manipulate elections through voter suppression. Our lawsuit will show how this voter suppression bill in its many eerie elements, revisits the tactics of Jim Crow in the 21st century are a form of what we have called for months James Crow Esquire tactics be­cause each suppression tactic has a disproportionate, disparate, and discriminatory impact especially on African Americans and other minorities. This act of the Legis­lature and governor is about race, an outright attempt to manipulate voting and the result of voting through suppressing the African-American vote and the votes of others that expand the electorate in ways not often favorable to the support of a narrow and extreme political agenda.”

Rosanell Eaton, 92, told reporters that what the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly had done in passing the voter restrictions bill was “evil.”

The NAACP wasn’t the only group hauling Gov. McCrory into court. The American Civil Lib­erties Union, the ACLU of North Carolina, and the Southern Coali­tion for Justice also filed suit.

“The suit specifically targets provi­sions of the law that eliminate a week of early voting, end same-day registration, and prohibit ‘out-of-precinct’ voting,” a statement from the plaintiffs states. “[Our suit] seeks to stop North Carolina from enacting these provisions, arguing that they would unduly burden the right to vote and discriminate against African-Ameri­can voters, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

The statement continued, “During the 2012 election, 2.5 million ballots were cast during the early voting period, representing more than half the total electorate. More than 70 percent of African-American voters utilized early voting during the 2008 and 2012 general elections.”

Vocal opposition to Gov. Mc­Crory’s signing of the omnibus elections bill in the state was swift and fierce.

“Once again, the Republicans have come up with a solution in search of a problem. But this time, they’re going after our very freedom,” said North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Randy Voller. “With Governor McCrory signing the voter suppression legislation passed last month by the extremists in Raleigh, we now know they will literally stop at nothing to tighten their hold on their perceived power.”

U.S. Congressman G. K. Butterfield [D-N.C.] also sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to, “…take swift and decisive action by using any legal mechanisms at your disposal to protect voting rights for North Carolinians.

“Like you, I have fought my whole life for equity in voting,” Butterfield wrote. “ I spent my entire legal career advocating for civil rights and helped to expand rights for minorities.  Now, as a Member of Congress, my fight continues.  I simply cannot stand idly by and watch overtly discriminatory and racially motivated initiatives go unchallenged.  I am outraged. I strongly urge you to utilize any and all legal avenues at your disposal to fight this horrible law that turns back the clock on a generation of progress for voting rights.”

This article originally published in the August 26, 2013 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.