Hundreds of voters were prevented from casting ballots in the May primary when the state eliminated these reforms—a disturbing preview of what’s to come. #NorthCarolina has one of the closest Senate races in the country between Kay Hagan and Thom Tillis and is expected to have a large turnout this November. #TheJohnRobertsSupremeCourt’s decision could very well decide who controls the Senate. There’s a cruel irony behind this ruling. The most popular conservative talking point during the Shelby County debate was that Section 2 of the VRA could replace Section 5. “It seems to me that the Government can very easily bring a Section 2 suit,” #JusticeKennedy said during oral arguments. But challenging voting discrimination under Section 2 has been far from easy of late. In three states where new #voting restrictions have been struck down under Section 2 in the past year—North Carolina, #Ohio and #Wisconsin—the decisions have been reversed by the appeals courts or #TheSupremeCourt. North Carolina’s new voting restrictions are now in effect until a full trial in July 2015. The Tarheel State is the case study for how devastating the Supreme Court’s gutting of the VRA has been.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 14:31:38 +0000