Ruling Upholds 2013 Changes To North Carolina's Voting Laws

A federal judge in North Carolina has upheld North Carolina's controversial voter ID law.

The ruling by Judge Thomas Schroeder came after the conclusion of two civil trials that included more than 20,000 pages of exhibits and testimony from more than 100 witnesses.

The ID requirement was a part of sweeping changes to the state's voting laws passed in 2013.

The ruling is a victory for Republican lawmakers, who also reduced the number of early voting days, eliminated same-day registration and made other restrictions in the name of fighting voter fraud.

Plaintiffs are expected to appeal. Critics of the law have argued it disproportionately affects low-income and minority voters.

The judge determined that the legislature was within its right to roll back some of the provisions that had made North Carolina elections among the most accessible in the nation.

“Some of these measures were controversial when enacted, and one – out-of-precinct voting – was passed on a purely partisan basis in a manner designed to gain Democrats electoral victory retroactively,” Schroeder wrote.

Chris Brook, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina, warns the ruling could harm turnout.

“These were not conveniences. These were measures that North Carolina voters relied upon to vote.”

North Carolina will hold a second primary in June solely for U.S. Congresisonal seats. Brook says same-day registration and out-of-precinct voting will still be available because of a previous ruling by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, but would not be in place for the November election based on Schroeder's ruling.