To: Pat McCrory, Governor
Gov McCrory: Save our elections
SB 589 is not about the integrity of elections, but is instead a blatant partisan attempt to manipulate future elections in North Carolina. As the democratically elected Governor of our state, we ask you to make a statement to the General Assembly and veto this bill. We need to make access to polls easier, not harder.
Why is this important?
The North Carolina General Assembly passed HB 589, a needlessly restrictive bill designed to make voting more difficult for everyone in our state. We need the Governor to show real leadership and veto this bill before it becomes law. Nothing less the future of democracy in North Carolina is at stake.
The bill cuts the early voting period from 17 to 10 days, although counties would still be required to provide the same number of hours for early voting. It also prohibits counties from extending early voting hours on the Saturday before Election Day to accommodate crowds and eliminates same-day voter registration during early voting.
Other provisions in the revamped bill include:
- Eliminate pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, who currently can register to vote before they turn 18.
- Outlaw paid voter registration drives.
- Eliminate straight-ticket voting.
- Eliminate provisional voting if someone shows up at the wrong precinct.
- Prohibit counties from extending poll hours by one hour on Election Day in extraordinary circumstances, such as in response to long lines. Those in line at closing time would still be allowed to vote.
- Allow any registered voter of a county to challenge the eligibility of a voter rather than just a voter of the precinct in which the suspect voter is registered.
- Move the presidential primary to first Tuesday after South Carolina's primary if that state holds its primary before March 15. That would mean North Carolina would have two primaries during presidential elections.
- Study electronic filing for campaign returns.
- Increase the maximum allowed campaign contribution per election from $4,000 to $5,000.
- Loosen disclosure requirements in campaign ads paid for by independent committees.
- Repeal the publicly funded election program for appellate court judges.
- Repeal the requirement that candidates endorse ads run by their campaigns.
The voter ID requirement is more restrictive than the proposal the House passed in April by prohibiting university students from using their college IDs.