ACLU Comment on Justice Department Lawsuit Challenging North Carolina Voter Suppression Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org

NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the Justice Department is suing to block implementation of the North Carolina voter suppression law that would remove seven days of early voting, eliminate same-day voter registration during the early voting period, and require photo ID to cast a ballot, among other restrictions. The suit also aims to once again require North Carolina to obtain preclearance from the federal government before making changes to its election rules.

“North Carolina is engaging in a blatant attempt to make it harder for hundreds of thousands of eligible voters to cast a ballot,” said Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project. “The Justice Department is right to take action against North Carolina’s efforts to suppress the vote – particularly among people of color, poor people, and students. North Carolinians must be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to vote free of government interference.”

The ACLU and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice have also filed a lawsuit challenging the law. This suit, filed on August 12, specifically targets the provisions that eliminate a week of early voting, end same-day registration, and prohibit “out-of-precinct” voting. It seeks to stop North Carolina from enacting these provisions, arguing that they would unduly burden the right to vote and discriminate against African-American voters, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

For more on the ACLU’s lawsuit, please visit: aclu.org/voting-rights/aclu-and-southern-coalition-social-justice-file-challenge-north-carolinas-voter