North Carolina state and national Republican groups are challenging a ruling that allows the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s digital identification to serve as voter ID in this fall’s election. After a judge upheld the State Board of Elections’ decision to allow the use of the UNC digital ID, the Republican groups sought a temporary stay and injunction from the North Carolina Court of Appeals. They argue that the digital ID is less secure and susceptible to voter fraud, and that the State Board of Elections’ decision violates state election laws.
The ruling came after a legal battle that involved the Republican National Committee, the state elections board, and intervening parties such as the Democratic National Committee and the Affirmative Action Coalition. The judge, Keith Gregory, compared UNC students using digital IDs to convicted felons who haven’t paid court costs but can’t vote. Arguments were made about whether a digital ID qualifies as a card under state law, with lawyers for the state elections board defending the board’s approval of the UNC ID as a valid form of voter identification.
The lawsuit comes shortly before early in-person voting is set to begin, with Republicans accusing the state election board of creating confusion and potentially disenfranchising thousands of UNC students and employees. This legal battle is part of a fourth lawsuit filed by Republican groups against the state election board recently. The decision to approve the digital UNC ID was made in August by the state board along party lines, with Democratic members voting in favor and Republican members voting against the measure.
Source
Photo credit www.carolinajournal.com
