A legal challenge to North Carolina’s same-day voter laws began yesterday in Winston-Salem.
The bench trial at the Hiram H. Ward Federal Building, presided over by Judge Thomas Schroeder, focused on a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters, Democracy North Carolina, and the North Carolina Black Alliance. The suit challenges provisions in the state's omnibus election law, SB 747.
Those provisions allow elections officials to cancel the registrations and votes of individuals who registered and voted on the same day if a single address verification mailer is returned as undeliverable.
During testimony, Marcus Bass, deputy director of the North Carolina Black Alliance, highlighted the vulnerability of college-aged voters due to multiple address changes. Bass also noted the frequent absence of on-campus polling locations at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Tim Tsujii, Forsyth County Board of Elections director, mentioned that while his office provides educational resources to help students navigate the law, such practices are not mandated by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Testimony also came from a Wilmington, North Carolina college student, who shared her experience of attempting to vote on the same day she registered. She testified that her ballot was excluded. Attorneys argued that the provisions in question directly affect students like her.
According to Judge Schroeder, the trial is set to conclude by the end of this week.