NC’s Gov. Pat McCrory To Sign Voter-Suppression Bill He Hasn’t Read

Gov. Pat McCrory said he would sign a bill passed by the North Carolina legislature that would become the most suppressive voting laws in the nation.

When asked to speak about a provision in the bill that would prohibit 17-year-olds from registering in advance of their 18th birthday, Gov. McCrory admitted that he did not know every provision of the bill and had not read that portion of the bill.

An Associated Press reporter asked the Republican governor how three particular provisions of the bill would help prevent voter fraud — ending same-day voter registration, trimming the period for early voting by a week and eliminating a program that encourages high school students to register to vote in advance of their 18th birthdays?  McCrory talked about two other sections of the legislation — a measure added through a Democratic amendment that directs counties to make early voting available for more hours during the abbreviated early voting period, and a provision forbidding lobbyists from passing campaign donations from their clients directly on to lawmakers.

Asked again about the three provisions and how they would prevent voter fraud, McCrory said he had long been concerned about same-day registration, which allows voters to cast a ballot immediately after presenting elections officials with proof of their name and home address.  McCrory said the system had potential for abuse.

“I don’t know enough, I’m sorry, I haven’t seen that part of the bill,” McCrory replied.

Republicans have said the legislation is meant to prevent voter fraud, which they claim is both rampant and undetected. But non-partisan voting rights groups, Democrats and libertarians, suggested the true goal is suppressing voter turnout — especially among blacks, the young, the elderly and the poor.

“There is plenty of opportunity for voter registration — online, offline, through many methods,” said McCrory. “I thought that was a fair system before and I think it is a fair system now.”

North Carolina has never allowed voters to register online, though they can download a form and print it out. The GOP-backed elections bill tightens restrictions on registration, requiring voters to submit a paper form by mail or in person at least 25 days in advance of a primary or election.

GOP legislators in North Carolina passed the bill after a 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last month striking down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that required states with a history of racial discrimination to get prior federal approval before making changes to elections law.

The U.S. Justice Department and civic groups including the NAACP have signaled they may file federal lawsuits under the remaining provisions of the landmark voting act seeking to overturn North Carolina’s new law.

N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat, sent McCrory a letter urging him to veto the bill.  “For years, North Carolina has taken steps that encourage people to vote while maintaining the integrity of the system,” Cooper wrote. “With a veto, you can encourage more people to be involved in the political process, stop this bad public policy, and prevent the confusion and cost of a legal battle.”

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision that effectively disables federal oversight of states with a history of voting discrimination, states have raced to pass new restrictive voting laws. On Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder said he would challenge voter I. D. laws in Texas under another provision of the VRA not affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling. Holder hinted he would pursue similar actions against other states with restrictive laws, saying, “This is the department’s first action to protect voting rights [after the Supreme Court’s ruling]. … But it will not be our last.”