North Carolina is once again in the news regarding voting issues, but there is finally a bit of good news. After a few North Carolina counties instated some ‘insane’ voting regulations that purged large swaths of voters and disproportionately targeted black voters, U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs stepped in on Friday afternoon and ruled that the voters should be restored as they were cut too close to the election. According to Talking Points Memo, “The NAACP says counties are violating federal law by removing voters less than 90 days before the election. However, state officials say the process complements federal law and preserves due-process rights.”
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Judge: North Carolina counties must restore names of voters removed from rolls in recent weeks.
— Ken Thomas (@KThomasDC) November 4, 2016
Cumberland county alone purged 5,600 voters, with 6,700 voters were cut total, most of them minorities. According to Slate, the Justice Department will also be sending polling monitors to the offending counties to ensure that the proper procedures are followed. This is not the first time this election season that North Carolina has been ground zero of voting conflict. Back in August, a federal judge struck down a number of legislative districts as unconstitutional because of “racial gerrymandering.” North Carolina Republicans have also sought to slash early voting hours, making it more difficult for many people to vote.
(Via Talking Points Memo, Slate, Reuters)
