The Governor of North Carolina has just vetoed Senate Bill 824 (‘the Voter ID law’).
The bill was recently approved in our state’s mid-term elections but faced widespread criticism much in line with the similar measure the Supreme Court struck down last year.
In Governor Cooper’s official veto, he states:
“Requiring photo IDs for in-person voting is a solution in search of a problem. Instead, the real election problem is votes harvested illegally through absentee ballots, which this proposal fails to fix.
In addition, the proposed law puts up barriers to voting that will trap honest voters in confusion and discourage them with new rules, some of which haven’t even been written yet.
Finally, the fundamental flaw in the bill is its sinister and cynical origins: It was designed to suppress the rights of minority, poor, and elderly voters. The cost of disenfranchising those voters or any citizens is too high, and tl1e risk of taking away the fundamental right to vote is too great, for this law to take effect.”
Republicans in the North Carolina legislature may be able to override the veto if they all vote together.
Republican State Senator Phil Berger released a statement saying, “The voters made their preference clear on Election Day that they want voter ID in their constitution and we plan to override Governor Cooper’s veto #ncga #ncpol”
The voters made their preference clear on Election Day that they want voter ID in their constitution and we plan to override Governor Cooper’s veto #ncga #ncpol pic.twitter.com/wSr5gbrLGG
— Senator Phil Berger (@SenatorBerger) December 15, 2018
What are your thoughts on the recent Voter ID law and our governor’s veto?