The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision Wednesday to reinstate North Carolina same-day voting and registration, as well as out-of-precinct ballot casting.
According to the court, two provisions from the 2013 Republican-passed elections overhaul bill cannot be enforced during the November elections because they violate sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that prohibits discrimination based on race.
The ruling is part of a larger legal process where the NAACP and others have sued the state asking for the 2013 law to be declared unconstitutional. Because that can't be decided until a trial that is scheduled for July, the challengers asked to keep old election laws in place for this year's general election, reported the News & Observer, adding that the U.S. government is also among those who sued.
In a 69-page decision written by the court, they stated, "There can be no doubt that certain challenged measures in House Bill 589 disproportionately impact minority voters."
Republicans, along with filing a motion with the court asking for it to delay implementation of its ruling, also plan to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the News & Observer.
N.C. state lawyers wrote, "A stay will ensure that North Carolina can conduct an orderly election and will prevent the possibility of widespread confusion regarding rules for registering and voting among both poll workers and the public."
State Board of Elections officials also voiced that they believe the ruling could cause problems at the polls.
"We are concerned that changes so close to the election may contribute to voter confusion," said Executive Director Kim Westbrook Strach. "More than 4 million voter guides have gone to the public with information contrary to today's decision."
The three judge panel consisted of James Wynn of Martin County in Eastern North Carolina, William Floyd out of Brevard and Diana Motz of Maryland. Wynn and Floyd stated in their majority opinion that U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder "erred in August when he rejected the request by the NAACP, League of Women Voters, and registered Democrats in North Carolina," according to the News and Observer.
