New proposal would ban voter registration drives in NC

House Bill 127 would make it a misdemeanor for voter registration drives to hand out real voter registration forms. It would only allow groups or individuals to hand out sample registration forms instead.
Posted 2/14/2025, 11:16:28 PM Updated 2/15/2025, 1:59:28 PM

TECH THEY USE A SPOKESPERSON

FOR THE DMV SAYS THE DIVISIONS

LEADERS PLAN TO MEET WITH

BULLOCK

NEXT WEEK.

>> YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN VOTER

REGISTRATION TEAMS MAY BE AT A

TABLE AT THE FARMERS MARKET OR

THE STATE FAIR. WELL, PERHAPS

AT YOUR DOORSTEP DURING THE

LAST ELECTION. THESE DRIVES ARE

MEANT TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR

PEOPLE TO REGISTER TO VOTE.

BUT SOME STATE LAWMAKERS WANT

TO MAKE THEM ILLEGAL. THE

BUREAU CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF

LAURA LESLIE EXPLAINS WHY.

AND HOW VOTING RIGHTS GROUPS

ARE REACTING.

>> A REGISTRATION DRIVES HELP

PEOPLE TO FILL OUT THEIR VOTER

REGISTRATION FORMS. AND COLLECT

THOSE FORMS AND TURN THEM OVER

TO ELECTION OFFICIALS. GROUPS

ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM

HOLD THESE DRIVES. YOU CAN FIND

THEM JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE,

ESPECIALLY AT ELECTION TIME.

A BILL FILED THIS WEEK BY SOME

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS WOULD MAKE

THEM ILLEGAL. THE BILL'S

SPONSOR, REPRESENTATIVE HARRY

WARREN SAYS REGISTRATION DRIVES

SHOULD ONLY BE ALLOWED TO HAND

OUT INFORMATION, NOT ACTUAL

REGISTRATION FORMS. VOTERS

WOULD NEED TO GET THE FORMS

FILLED THEM OUT AND SUBMIT THEM

THEMSELVES. INSTEAD, THE BILL

PROTECTS THEIR PERSONAL

INFORMATION AND ENSURES THEY

ARE ACTUALLY REGISTERED

REGARDLESS HOW THEY DESIGNATE

THEIR POLITICAL AFFILIATION.

WARREN SAID.

>> THIS IS A BILL THAT WILL

DISENFRANCHISE VOTERS AND WEB

WITH COMMON CAUSE. NC SAYS

VOTERS OF COLOR YOUNG VOTERS

AND DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES

ARE MORE LIKELY THAN OTHER

GROUPS TO USE. THESE DRIVES

TO REGISTER OR UPDATE THEIR

REGISTRATION.

>> SO THEY WOULD SEE A BIGGER

IMPACT. IT'S AN EXTREME BILL

THAT WILL PREVENT.

>> COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FROM

SUPPORTING OTHER COMMUNITY

MEMBERS DIRECTLY IN REGISTERING

TO VOTE AND THAT CAN ONLY BE

VIEWED AS AN EFFORT TO MAKE

IT HARDER TO ACCESS VOTING.

THE BILL MAY CONTRADICT SOME

FEDERAL VOTING LAWS AND WEBB'S

SAYS IT MAY FALL AFOUL OF THE

CONSTITUTION TOO.

>> ACCESS TO VOTER REGISTRATION

IS PROTECTED.

>> WE WILL ABSOLUTELY BE

LOOKING VERY CAREFULLY AT THE

THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS BILL

FOR THE RIGHTS OF VOTERS IN

NORTH CAROLINA. AND I THINK

THERE ARE SERIOUS FIRST

AMENDMENT AND SERIOUS.

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