A federal court on Monday began hearing a challenge to North Carolina's election laws which claims that Republican-backed voting restriction overhauls passed two years ago intentionally discriminate against black and Latino voters who usually favor Democratic candidates. The outcome could have widespread implications for voting rights across the country.
The trial in Winston-Salem is a result of three lawsuits brought against North Carolina by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the League of Women Voters and the U.S. Department of Justice, reported Reuters.
The suit targets North Carolina Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and the state board of elections over the 2013 election overhaul that eliminated early voting, ended same-day voter registration, and got rid of out-of-precinct ballots. The highly controversial voter identification requirements are not being considered.
The complainants argue that the laws enacted by the Republican-led state legislature were unlawful and intentionally discriminatory to prevent minority voter turnout, while Republicans say the laws treat all voters equally, prevent voter fraud and save money by cutting down on the number of days for early voting, reports the News & Observer.
In the previous court hearing, one of the attorneys representing North Carolina, Thomas Farr, argued that the election overhaul made no changes based on race. "How can there be unequal opportunity when all voters have the right to register 25 days before the election? The statute itself is facially neutral," he said, according to NPR.
Prior to the passing of the law, the early voting window had resulted in a noticeable increase in the number of minority voters. Some 70 percent of black voters cast their votes early during the past two presidential elections, compared to about 50 percent of white voters who did so, reports NPR.
Chris Brook, an attorney of the North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union, said the measures passed in North Carolina "are among the most restrictive, if not the most restrictive in the nation," according to NPR. The outcome of the case "will go a long way to deciding whether measures along these lines are going to be upheld in other portions of the nation," Brook said.
North Carolina made the changes to its election laws following a Supreme Court decision in 2013 that eliminated a key portion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that banned voter discrimination.
Election law experts believe the case could set precedent for how far states can change voting rules in light of that Supreme Court decision, according to The Associated Press.
The court is expected to take at least two weeks to hear the challenge, according to the Guardian.