August 12, 2013 – North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory quietly signed a bill making it much harder for many North Carolinians to vote, such as eliminating early voting and requiring specific forms of ID one would need to show at the poll to exercise their right to vote at the polls. Republicans on the state level across America have been pushing aggressively to make it harder for people to vote, but some say this effort by state Republicans in NC is Draconian and harsher than most. Although there has been zero evidence of this supposed "voter fraud" in the state, Governor McCrory signed the bill that even stops young people aged 16 and 17 from registering early so they are ready to vote when they turn 18. JTMP is all about urging young kids to get involved in our elections, and this is just absurd. There has always been a low participation by young people in our democratic process, and this is not just unnecessary, but undermines what our government should be doing, which is encouraging people to participate in their civic duty of voting and making it easier for them to vote. This is a clear attempt at trying to put hurdles in front of voters that tend to vote for Democrats. In 2012, over 70% of African-Americans took part in early voting with the "Souls to the Polls" on Sundays after they attended church service, and they tend to vote Democratic. This blatant attempt at circumventing our democratic process and making it harder for Americans to vote is outrageous, and thankfully, as Ari Berman of The Nation reports, 2 lawsuits have already been filed challenging the law. Read more on Charlotte Observer here. (Photo credit: State of North Carolina website)
