Court challenge could be next for NC elections changes

Opponents of the bill that would require voter ID and change access to North Carolina's early voting have asked the governor to veto the bill or face a court challenge.

Posted 2:09 a.m. Jul 27, 2013 — Updated 3:36 a.m. Jul 27, 2013

Jodi Leese Glusco

Attorney General Roy Cooper has urged Gov. Pat McCrory to veto the sweeping elections changes passed this week by the North Carolina General Assembly.

House Bill 589 will not only require voters to show valid identification, it also cuts the early voting period from 17 to 10 days, prohibits counties from extending early voting hours on the Saturday before Election Day and eliminates same-day voter registration during early voting.

Cooper says the bill will make it harder for North Carolinians to vote.

The attorney general wrote, "With a veto, you can encourage more people to be involved in the political process, stop this bad public policy, and prevent the confusion and cost of a legal battle."

Cooper says he expects a legal challenge from the federal government.

Congressman G.K. Butterfield, D-District 1, is also mounting an effort to block sweeping changes to election laws. He too sent a letter to the governor urging a veto. Butterfield said if McCrory signs the bill into law, he will ask the U.S. Attorney General to challenge it.

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