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Federal Judge Weighs Evidence As North Carolina Voter ID Trial Wraps Up

88.5 WFDD - Public Radio For The Piedmont | By Keri Brown

Published February 1, 2016 at 7:03 PM EST

NC NAACP president Rev. William Barber and other plaintiffs address the media after closing arguments in voter ID trial on Feb. 1, 2016. Credit: Keri Brown

A federal trial testing North Carolina's photo ID requirement wrapped up in Winston-Salem Monday.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the North Carolina NAACP are suing the state. The lawsuit centers around a sweeping elections law the General Assembly passed in 2013.

They say the law is unconstitutional and violates a key section of the Voting Rights Act. Rev. William Barber, president of the state's NAACP chapter, says it also disenfranchises minority voters who don't have the proper ID.

“And there's no evidence of fraud. This law is a deterrent. This law is a discouragement. This law adds burdens to lack people and poor minorities,” says Barber.

But the state disagrees. Their attorneys say the plaintiffs have offered no hard evidence that any registered voters will be stopped from casting a ballot. The defense also says it has been educating voters on the changes and North Carolina is one of more than 20 states who have added new voting requirements in recent years.

There's no set timeline for when U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder's decision will come down.

The law is supposed to take effect in time for the March 15 primary.

*You can follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerb_news.

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Keri Brown

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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Federal Judge Weighs Evidence As North Carolina Voter ID Trial Wraps Up

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