NC House Bill 958 Draws Voting Rights Concerns From Advocates
Five voting rights organizations rallied outside the NC Legislative Building as House lawmakers prepared to vote on a sweeping elections bill they say restricts voter participation and violates the First Amendment.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Voting rights advocates gathered outside the North Carolina Legislative Building on Wednesday to express concerns that a sweeping House elections bill would harm voters across the state, as lawmakers inside prepared to vote on the measure.
Representatives from five organizations — Common Cause North Carolina, Democracy North Carolina, Forward Justice, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, and North Carolina Black Alliance — held a press conference calling House Bill 958 harmful to voting rights. The rally coincided with the hour lawmakers were expected to take up the bill on the House floor.
What the Bill Would Do
Republican lawmakers who authored House Bill 958 said Tuesday the legislation is intended to strengthen the “integrity” of the election process. The bill proposes extensive changes to North Carolina election law, including several provisions that drew sharp criticism from the advocates assembled outside.
One provision would prohibit state and local election board members from “encouraging or promoting voter turnout in any election.” Kathleen Roblez, senior voting rights counsel at Forward Justice, said that restriction amounts to a constitutional violation.
“This is like saying you own a restaurant, but you cannot go online and say, ‘Please come eat dinner today,'” Roblez said. “This is saying a state or county board election member cannot say ‘Today’s election day, register to vote, voting is good.’ That’s their job. This is a First Amendment violation, plain and simple.”
The bill would also require military and overseas voters to submit documentation showing their most recent North Carolina address along with their voter registration applications. Roblez said that requirement would reduce participation among overseas voters.
A separate provision would require overseas and military voters to submit photo identification with their ballots, codifying a state Supreme Court decision that arose from Republican Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin’s unsuccessful election challenge.
Advocates Speak Out
Marcus Bass, deputy director of the North Carolina Black Alliance, spoke at the press conference alongside other advocates, with attendees holding signs reading “I will protect my vote.”
Roblez closed her remarks with a broader message directed at voters. “Remember that if your vote wasn’t so important, they wouldn’t be working so hard to take it away from you,” she said.
The coalition of groups represented at the Wednesday press conference spans racial justice, civil rights, and nonpartisan election advocacy organizations, according to NC Newsline, which reported on the event.
Bill Moves Through Legislature
House Bill 958 was moving through the Republican-controlled North Carolina House as of Wednesday. The Republican sponsors of the bill have maintained that its provisions are aimed at improving election security and administrative consistency across the state.
Advocates warned the legislation, if passed, would create new barriers for voters, including overseas military personnel, and restrict the ability of election officials to communicate basic civic information to the public. No vote tally or final outcome was immediately available from Wednesday’s anticipated House vote at the time of reporting.
