LOD: Voter Suppression Update

North Carolina’s infamous photo ID bill (H-351 – we call it the “Voter Suppression Act of 2011”) passed as expected on party line votes and is on its way to Gov. Bev Perdue. You can encourage her to veto the bill with this handy action alert. The other major anti-voter bill, S-47, was pulled off the floor tonight and will be taken up in July when the General Assembly reconvenes to tackle redistricting and other topics. Before the sponsor pulled the bill, he gained support for an amendment to delete the provision that would have killed Sunday afternoon voting, so “Souls to the Polls” faces one less threat. The bill still has a bucket load of obnoxious provisions, from ending Same-Day Registration and Voter-Owned Elections for executive branch offices to permitting corporate donations to political parties. In other action at the General Assembly, the bill (H-710) to merge three government watchdog agencies into a new underfunded, overtasked agency was also pulled for further study and action in the July session. Looks like a long hot summer.