With Court Filing, A Renewed Push For Early Voting Expansion

Opponents of broad changes to North Carolina's voting laws won a big court decision over the summer, but the legal fight isn't over yet.

In an emergency court filing Saturday, plaintiffs argued that early voting hours should be extended in five counties, including Forsyth and Guilford.

The federal Fourth Circuit this summer found many of the changes from North Carolina's 2013 voting laws unconstitutionally targeted minority voters. The decision led to a reworking of early-voting plans across the state.

The new filing argues that Guilford County reduced the number of first-week early voting sites from 16 in 2012 to one this year. Plaintiffs criticized the Forsyth plan for not including Sunday voting and for not not using Winston-Salem State University as an early-voting precinct.

Supporters of the current plans say they represent bipartisan compromises following the federal court ruling.

Plaintiffs are asking for a ruling by Friday. Early voting begins Oct. 20.