Overreach - It's not voter ID; it's really power politics

Editorial by Fayetteville Observer, August 14, 2013.

Gov. Pat McCrory tried to put lipstick on a pig, and all he did was make himself look silly. The pig looked pretty foolish, too.

When he signed a sweeping election-reform measure that started out as a simple voter ID bill, McCrory declared it was about "ensuring that no one's vote is disenfranchised by fraudulent ballots." It should be that simple. But last-minute legislative meddling made it anything but what its name implies.

Most North Carolinians support voter ID and wouldn't raise much of a fuss over the law the governor signed Monday. There might have been lawsuits, but other states' voter ID laws have already been upheld.

But it isn't just a voter ID bill. It's a bare-knuckled political power play whose clear intent is to dilute Democratic strengths and enhance the GOP's strong suits. These are some of the things it does:

Nearly cuts early-voting time in half.

Ends same-day registration and voting.

Ends early registration for high-school students.

Ends straight-ticket voting.

Makes judicial elections partisan.

Ends public financing for appellate judicial races.

Raises caps on political donations and weakens disclosure.

Eliminates the "stand by your ad" law.

Since a hefty majority of young voters, early voters, same-day voters and straight-ticket voters are also likely to vote for Democratic candidates, the intent of those changes is clear.

Democrats call it voter suppression, and several lawsuits have been filed. And it's likely that the U.S. Justice Department will intervene, as well, given recent statements by Attorney General Eric Holder.

Don't be surprised if the entire new law gets thrown out because of this overreach. We could have had a good voter ID law - which we supported. Instead, we got a pig with goofy lipstick.