Under the Dome: NC voter ID law trial begins
Good morning! ☀️ Here’s what you need to know in North Carolina politics today.
Will you need an ID to vote in the November election? After all these years, that question remains a really good one. And, it has all eyes focused on the federal court trial that began Monday in Winston-Salem. The trial involves a longstanding lawsuit alleging the state’s ID requirement is discriminatory to certain voters. Potentially, the requirement could get blocked. Regardless of the decision, it seems an appeal would be likely. Again. Here’s what you need to know. – Stephanie Loder, correspondent.
WILL VOTER ID REQUIREMENT BE BLOCKED BEFORE NOVEMBER’S ELECTION?
The trial over North Carolina’s new voter ID requirement began Monday, with lawyers for the NAACP arguing the law was enacted with “impermissible, intentional racial discrimination.”
U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs, who has temporarily blocked the law before, presided over the case as the NAACP brought in witnesses from advocacy groups to testify that the law has negative effects on voters.
The North Carolina state conference of the NAACP sued the state in 2018 over its voter ID requirement, and the law has been tied up in court for the last five years.
Lawyers for Republican legislators, who are defendants in the case, say there is no intended discrimination and point out the broad exceptions the law allows for anyone without an ID.
Get key takeaways from day one in the courtroom from Kyle Ingram here.
DID REP. DON DAVIS HELP EXPAND BRODY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE?
The North Carolina GOP is hoping to flip Rep. Don Davis’ congressional district red in the election in November, so they’re listening closely to his comments.
The National Republican Congressional Committee accused Davis of claiming undue credit at a town hall when he spoke about working for the expansion of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
Davis faced criticism in 2020 as a state senator because he sided with the governor over the state budget that cost ECU the funding for expansion, at least temporarily.
But Davis’ vote in favor of the 2021 budget is more relevant, his chief of staff argued. That plan included funding for the school.
So who’s right? Danielle Battaglia checks the facts here.
WHY TWO NC REPUBLICANS WANT THE SAME LT. GOVERNOR JOB
A runoff election slated for May 14 between the GOP’s two top vote-getters, Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill, will decide the Republican nominee for North Carolina lieutenant governor.
Neither candidate garnered more than 30% of the vote in the March primary. Weatherman, former chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, received more than 181,000 votes and O’Neill, the Forsyth County district attorney, received about 147,000 votes.
Weatherman, 54, also worked briefly with U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn after Forest’s term ended, and said that move was “politically, clearly not a good move in my life. Clearly.” He said his decision to run for office was part of God’s will.
O’Neill, 58, who is in his fourth term as district attorney, ran for attorney general in 2020 but lost to Democrat Josh Stein. O’Neill wants to continue his focus on crime and community safety as lieutenant governor.
The GOP primary winner faces state Sen. Rachel Hunt, who in March won the Democratic nomination.
Get the full story from Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan here.
That’s all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol news.
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