A legal challenge to North Carolina’s same-day voter laws entered its third day today in Winston-Salem, and North Carolina voter integrity groups were front and center.
The trial centers on Senate Bill 747, which allows election officials to cancel the registrations and votes of same-day registrants (SDR) who voted early if they receive just one undeliverable address verification mailer. Lucas Seijo from Democracy NC testified that these provisions disproportionately impact college-aged voters, who may frequently move.
The plaintiffs explored the influence of voter integrity activists on the SDR provisions. Republican State Senator Warren Daniel, a primary sponsor of S.B. 747, acknowledged consulting with election integrity groups while drafting the bill.
Various recommendations from figures like Jim Womack of the North Carolina Election Integrity Team and Cleta Mitchell from the Conservative Partnership Institute included reducing early voting to 10 days and making same-day registration provisional.
Sen. Daniel confirmed that some of these recommendations were incorporated into the bill. However, when asked if he had sought input from elections officials or postal workers, he stated, “No.”
Sen. Daniel also confirmed he was not aware of any cases of voter fraud related to same-day registration.