Not ready for prime time

Editorial, Greensboro News and Record, August 18, 2013.

Gov. Pat McCrory had the right idea when he decided not to hold a public ceremony while signing the state’s sweeping — and repressive — new voting changes into law. There was no sense in calling more attention to this legislative travesty that makes it harder for North Carolinians to vote.

Instead, the governor put out a limp, 96-second video that was about as misleading as last fall’s campaign ads in which he pledged to put politics aside and work for all of North Carolina. On YouTube, McCrory’s latest video is titled “Governor McCrory Signs Popular Voter ID into Law.” A more accurate title might be “Governor Ignores Most of New Law’s Meanest Provisions and Is Promptly Sued.”

The new law does a lot of things, all of them bad. As of 2014, the new law shaves a week off the early voting period and gets rid of straight-ticket voting. Same-day registration will vanish. So, too, will the requirement that candidates, parties and PACs must identify themselves in their political ads. Interestingly, ballots now must list candidates in alphabetical order by party starting with the party whose candidate for governor got the most votes in the most recent election. Sure enough, that legislative sleight-of-hand means GOP candidates will top the ballot through at least 2016 — maybe longer, if McCrory wins re-election.

In 2016, all voters will have to show a photo ID. (College student IDs won’t be accepted.) Never mind that in-person voter fraud is about as common as fatal lightning strikes and winning Powerball tickets. The new law does nothing to address absentee voter fraud, where shenanigans are legendary.

Republicans, of course, love the new law. The GOP has pushed similar voter ID laws in 33 other states. McCrory in his video calls North Carolina’s changes “common-sense reforms” that protect the integrity of the election process.

But the law has plenty of critics. (McCrory at the 1:03 mark dismisses them as “those from the extreme left” who traffic in “scare tactics” and “divisive politics.” So much for working with all of North Carolina.) Within hours of McCrory’s signing, the American Civil Liberties Union and the state chapter of the NAACP filed lawsuits to block it. U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to intervene.

Despite McCrory’s claim that people like the new law, North Carolinians have soured on many of its provisions. A poll released Monday by the left-leaning Public Policy Polling found that just 39 percent of state residents support it — down from 66 percent two years ago.

North Carolinians don’t like the shorter early voting period (only 33 percent support it) or the ban on straight-ticket voting (just 21 percent like it). While most Republicans and white voters like the ID provision, a majority of Democrats, African Americans, independents and moderates don’t.

Except for the ID requirement, McCrory doesn’t mention the rest of the law in his video. There’s really no point; it’s indefensible. Good thing the governor saved his breath. He’ll need it in court.