Voter ID Legislation Vetoed By North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper


Last November, North Carolinians voted on a number of state constitutional amendments. Most on the ballot were suspiciously vague in their wording. Some of the amendments on the North Carolina ballot included wording like an amendment “to strengthen protections for victims of crime; to establish certain absolute basic rights for victims; and to ensure the enforcement of these rights,” or another amendment which stated it was “protecting the right of the people to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife.”

Such wording failed to disclose the particulars of what exactly such an amendment would entail or what laws may be changed.

All six amendments ultimately passed, despite having virtually no specific information on what these amendments could actually mean for North Carolinians.

According to WRAL, Democratic North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has officially vetoed one of the amendments. This amendment was worded on the ballot promising to “require voters to provide photo identification before voting in person.”

Cooper vetoed the controversial amendment and added a comment about why exactly he felt it would not be a good fit for the voters of North Carolina.

“[This legislation] puts up barriers to voting that will trap honest voters in confusion and discourage them with new rules. [The bill is rooted in] sinister and cynical origins [and] designed to suppress the rights of minority, poor, and elderly voters. The cost of disenfranchising those voters or any citizens is too high, and the risk of taking away the fundamental right to vote is too great, for this law to take effect.

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina were naturally upset by Cooper’s move, considering all six amendments were drawn up by the North Carolina GOP. North Carolina House speaker Tim More rebuked the governor in a statement.

“We are certainly disappointed that Gov. Cooper chose to ignore the will of the people and reject a common-sense election integrity measure that is common in most states. The North Carolina House will override his veto as soon as possible.”

While More’s promise to override Governor Cooper’s veto remains to be seen, many are also wondering what this could mean for the other five amendments passed in last November’s midterm election. Many are saying Cooper could veto those as well, while others seem to think he may leave those as they are.

Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Pat McCroy back in 2016 in an election race that was nearly too close to call. Ultimately McCroy conceded.

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