The United States Supreme Court denied an attempt of appeal from the Republican party to enforce strict voting rules in the state before the November elections. In a divided voting, North Carolina will remain with its standard voting rules without asking for photo ID at the polls
In a four to four vote, the Supreme Court rejected the petition made by an appeals court ruling in July, that sought to demand stricter voting rules in North Carolina and that are considered harming to African Americans by the Obama administration and the Democratic Party.
The Supreme Court, which has been divided into four democrats and four republicans, after Justice Antonin Scalia’s recent death in February, decided that North Carolina voting rules will remain the same without changes for the upcoming election in November.
North Carolina, is said to play a crucial role in the next election between both parties for which Republicans and Democrats were carefully studying the decision to appeal and the ruling.
Voter ID Laws
The Voter ID Laws have been a controversial subject in the United States, in particular with the Presidential election set to happen in November 2016. These laws require in the first place that the voter presents itself with some sort of identification to register for the vote, receive a ballot or to vote.
Thirty-three states have passed the photo ID law, but in the 2002 movement to get voters to the polls the photo ID was only required to those who were new voters and couldn’t provide a diver’s license or the last four numbers of their social security number.
However, the request in North Carolina demanded only certain types of photo ID, which many have criticized and themed as racist since it didn’t accept cards emitted by public assistance from the state.
The recent petition by Republican North Carolinians, restricted the number of days for voters to assist to the ballots from 17 to ten and prohibited citizens from attending to another precinct that the one they were assigned to. It also prevented voters to register on the same day they voted.
“The Supreme Court was correct to deny North Carolina’s last-ditch effort to undermine African-American voter participation in the November election,” said Dale Ho, who is the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project to the Wall Street Journal.
The law has been criticized by Democrats alleging that Republicans aimed to prohibit mechanisms that are commonly used by African-American citizens who also tend to vote for the Democratic party.
Democrats and civil rights unions all pledge the Supreme Court denied the emergency appeal made by the Republican Party. The Supreme Court insisted it shouldn’t be forced to pass a restrictive voting law, so close to the upcoming presidential election.
“Today we achieved another major victory for justice, African Americans, Latinos and all North Carolinians,” assured Rev William J. Barber II, who is the president of the North Carolina NAACP.
The request was previously denied on July 29th by a unanimous panel of the 4th Circuit who shared the view of the Democratic party on the matter.
Source: Wall Street Journal
If I do not need a photo ID to practice my voting rights, because it would be discriminatory, then it would be equally discriminatory and unconstitutional to demand it for any other reason as well, like me BUYING A GUN!