LOD: Silence Unwanted Voices

On Wednesday, the NC House passed H 589, one of the most restrictive government photo ID bills in the country. The bill’s sponsors opposed amendments to accept photo IDs from high schools or private colleges. Several other amendments were rejected, including a backup provision acceptable to 70% of NC voters: the backup would allow the voter without the ID to sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury, provide a verifiable identification number (e.g., social security number), and vote an affidavit ballot that would count when the ID number was verified. Instead, the House-passed bill makes the person come back later with the government photo ID or the ballot won’t count. The bill now goes to the state Senate where it could get even meaner. It is part of an unprecedented number of bills filed by conservatives to silence the voices of unwanted voters — bills to shorten early voting, ban Sunday voting, repeal Same-Day Registration, take away the $2,500 tax deduction for parents whose dependent kid registers to vote in her college town, make it nearly impossible for people with criminal records to vote, and more. Here’s an op-ed column that helps put it all in perspective.