WaPo: Inside the Republican creation of the North Carolina voting bill

[Virginiá]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/inside-the-republican-creation-of-the-north-carolina-voting-bill-dubbed-the-monster-law/2016/09/01/79162398-6adf-11e6-8225-fbb8a6fc65bc_story.html

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But the point here is, many of these changes to voting laws since Republicans swept state legislatures in 2010-2014 have absolutely no bearing on voter fraud, despite Republican claims. The only way some of these could reasonably be related to voter fraud is if you think the very act of voting introduces a risk of fraud and that voting itself must be curtailed, which is absurd. All these changes are about political advantage, plain and simple. Like how there is virtually no in-person voter fraud, but plenty of examples of absentee voter fraud.. yet Republicans actually made absentee voting easier and in-person harder because more Republicans used absentee voting and more Democrats used in-person early voting. That alone shows how little they care about voter fraud.

It's a shame more people do not speak up about this, particularly on the Republican side. I don't want a Republican Senate or House, but I would never support or advocate for voter suppression to achieve that goal. Where people stand on this issue says a lot about them if you ask me.

Anyway, my rant aside, it's a good, worthwhile read if you have the time.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Republicans truly have no shame.

[muon2]

I think WV did it the right way. If a state is going to have voter ID, model it on the Canadian system that provides for a number of ways to easily comply. Then one can fairly couple it to expanded registration and voting since there'd be no excuse not to.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I think WV did it the right way. If a state is going to have voter ID, model it on the Canadian system that provides for a number of ways to easily comply. Then one can fairly couple it to expanded registration and voting since there'd be no excuse not to.

Agreed.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

I think WV did it the right way. If a state is going to have voter ID, model it on the Canadian system that provides for a number of ways to easily comply. Then one can fairly couple it to expanded registration and voting since there'd be no excuse not to.

Why would the government set up a whole program to deal with a false demagogued problem?

That's like saying I have a great race neutral solution to waves of black people breaking into white gated communities in the suburbs and raping white women.

[muon2]

I think WV did it the right way. If a state is going to have voter ID, model it on the Canadian system that provides for a number of ways to easily comply. Then one can fairly couple it to expanded registration and voting since there'd be no excuse not to.

Why would the government set up a whole program to deal with a false demagogued problem?

That's like saying I have a great race neutral solution to waves of black people breaking into white gated communities in the suburbs and raping white women.

Why did Canada? It was a sensible part of the voting process.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

I think WV did it the right way. If a state is going to have voter ID, model it on the Canadian system that provides for a number of ways to easily comply. Then one can fairly couple it to expanded registration and voting since there'd be no excuse not to.

Why would the government set up a whole program to deal with a false demagogued problem?

That's like saying I have a great race neutral solution to waves of black people breaking into white gated communities in the suburbs and raping white women.

Why did Canada? It was a sensible part of the voting process.

Was it?  You have not presented any data to support that.

And might I point out yet again the insensitivity of what you are saying in this thread?  Virginia C just posted copious amounts of evidence that the Republican party's NC voter ID initiative was conceived from the very beginning as a racist plot.  Do you care to address that?  That is the issue.  That is why people say black lives matter.  You posted like mythical voter fraud is the issue.  No the issue is one of only two major national parties hatched a racist plot in 2012.  It's like the targeting blacks thing that got this whole thing started doesn't even matter.

I'm sure Canada has implemented tons of programs that would have done some good in 1930s Germany but I think we can all agree saying, Hitler should have done this neat thing Canada did, kind of misses the point.

[Virginiá]

For the record, I do support methods of tackling in-person voter fraud. Even if there isn't much at all, I do prefer secure elections, but I only advocate methods that don't block people from voting. Photo IDs rules are unacceptable given how little in-person fraud there is. Republicans frequently claim it is also to give voters "confidence" in the election, and I am fine with that, as long as no one gets turned away at the polls. Besides, let's be honest, photo ID or not, Republicans won't be confident in elections so long as Democrats keep winning.

I've said it before and I will say it again. If someone does not have an ID, first run their name through the DMV to see if they have an ID on record, and if not, take a picture of the person to run through facial recognition once voting is finished. If they voted twice, it will pick it up. Destroy the photos after the election for privacy reasons. We have the technology to make this a non-issue without blocking people from voting, yet politicians act like we are in the early 20th century. The reason is quite obvious: It has nothing to with fraud. It's all about partisan tricks.

That's one of my biggest issues with voter ID. There are better ways to address this issue.

[muon2]

I'm disagreeing with the NC attempt. Presenting an ID is common for many government-related activities - from checking out library books to entering certain government facilities. There was a time when one could have done those things without an ID. As security technology has advanced procedures have changed. All I'm saying is that if a state is looking to update its voting procedures it should look to systems that have been implemented fairly and have functioned without controversy.

[Gass3268]

This could be enough evidence to put NC back under VRA preclearence.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

I'm disagreeing with the NC attempt.

That is a pretty sterile reaction to a racist plot.  I mean at no point do you actually acknowledge nor condemn what the NC Republicans did.  Instead you spent 95% of your time posting about some Canadian solution to a nonexistent problem.  That's not usually the reaction you expect from someone who has just been shown something horrific.

There was a time when one could have done those things without an ID. As security technology has advanced procedures have changed.

You are really sitting there with a blue avatar and telling us all these government regulations that have come in are the result of a carefully researched and considered process driven by technological advancement?  What some busy body at a small public library in a rural town thinks up on a whim should not be the irrefutable yardstick that determines when, where, and how African Americans vote.  And I know you don't honestly believe that.

This could be enough evidence to put NC back under VRA preclearence.

Yeah... that is more of the reaction I would expect from someone shocked by this behavior.

[Virginiá]

This could be enough evidence to put NC back under VRA preclearence.

Honestly I don't quite understand why the 4th circuit didn't do it already. I'm not entirely sure of the process, so there might be a decent reason, but otherwise what more do they want? This was blatant discrimination and voter suppression, and on top of it, it's not the only instance. Now we have a list of abuses:

1. Congressional map found racially gerrymandered, 2 districts ordered redrawn
2. Omnibus voting bill / restrictions found to be for suppressing African American / Democratic voters
3. State legislative maps found racially gerrymandered, ordered to be redrawn
4. Dallas Woodhouse of the NC GOP sends out email telling Republican election board majorities in each county to "vote party line" to restrict early voting hours / locations as much as possible to limit ability to vote

Again, I have to ask, what more do they want? We now have 3 successful lawsuits proving racially discriminate rules/maps, 4 if you include the Wake County map lawsuit. This is as obvious as it will ever be in contemporary America.

[Tartarus Sauce]

NC GOP is one of the most morally bankrupt of the state parties, and shamelessly so. They seriously need to have their supermajorities revoked, otherwise they will continue to operate with no regard to consequences.

[Virginiá]

NC GOP is one of the most morally bankrupt of the state parties, and shamelessly so. They seriously need to have their supermajorities revoked, otherwise they will continue to operate with no regard to consequences.

They are arguably the best, or at least the most high profile example right now of why gerrymandering / one party rule can be so awful. NC GOP quickly went from having little to no power to having all the power, and safely so. Once they got that, they went full conservative in record time with zero regard for anyone else who disagrees with them, which is basically half of the state, more or less. Just look at how they passed this bill, or HB2. It was rammed through at breakneck speed specifically because they knew it would be resisted, but they didn't care what anyone else thought or felt about it because they know they won't lose their majorities no matter what they do.

But just to clarify, even fair maps likely wouldn't have caused the legislature to flip back in 2012 despite Democrats winning the legislative election(s) popular vote. I doubt they would still have had the supermajority, though.