North Carolina’s Board of Elections is set to hear three cases Tuesday that challenge the state’s new voting law on the premise that it attempts to supress student votes, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.
Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed a complete overhaul of the state voting system into law in mid-August, which shortened early voting and required voter IDs, among other new rules. The measure set off a flurry of criticism from political figures like Colin Powell and Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), who argued that it infriged on voting rights of students, minorities, the elderly, and low-income citizens.
The measure also ended same-day registration, and eliminated a popular high school civics program that registered tens of thousands of students to vote each year prior to their 18th birthdays, if they would turn 18 by election time.
The cases scheduled to be heard by the state Board of Elections on Tuesday include a student who was barred from running for city council because the law prevented him from using his college dorm address to establish residency, as well as a challenge to the closure of several polling places on university campuses, which students claim prevented their ability to vote, according to the News & Observer.
