The analysts over at Democracy North Carolina crunched voter numbers for the 2014 elections and came to a chilling conclusion: More than 2,000 ballots in the general election alone were cast but not counted, either because voters went to the wrong precinct or tried to register during early voting.
In 2013, Republican lawmakers eliminated same-day registration during early voting, shortened that voting period by a week, and prohibited voters from casting provisional ballots out of the correct precinct. Previously, these provisional ballots were checked by the county board of elections, and if the voter was properly registered, the votes counted.
Larry Hall, D-Durham, has co-sponsored House Bills 239 and 240, which would undo some of the GOP damage. HB 239 would extend early voting by a week. HB 240 would allow college students to use their unexpired, university identification to meet voter ID requirements at the polls. The GOP also outlawed college IDs as acceptable forms of identification. Not surprisingly, both bills were referred to the House rules committee, where they have languished since March 17. Read the entire Democracy North Carolina report.
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