The latest development on of North Caolina’s voter ID is mighty curious. With approximately zero advanced warning, the General Assembly on Thursday modified the state’s voter ID requirement, adding a provision for citizens to cast a provision ballot if they complete a “reasonable impediment declaration” explaining why they don’t have a photo ID. The provision is like one that South Carolina has had since 2013 and seems pretty reasonable. But why all of a sudden and now? Well there’s this, per the Raleigh News & Observer:
…Sen. Josh Stein, a Raleigh Democrat, questioned whether the hurry was due to the courtroom challenges to the 2013 voter ID law. “There’s a lawsuit on this law next month in Winston-Salem,” he said. “Your lawyers have clearly told you that your voter ID law is clearly unconstitutional.”
“Clearly unconstitutional” is probably a bit strong, but it does seem obvious that lawyers working on the case believe that the chances of federal and (especially) state courts being okay with the voter ID law would be greater if it provided for reasonable impediment declarations.
