A recent development in North Carolina's voter registration process has seen a federal appeals court intervene in a dispute between the Republican National Committee (RNC), North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP), and the State Board of Elections. The GOP's attempt to challenge 225,000 voter registrations in the state, alleging that these registrations were made without the required identification, has been met with legal hurdles.
The lawsuit filed by the RNC and NCGOP claimed that certain voters were registered using forms that did not mandate identification such as an ID or Social Security number, which they argued violated the Help America Vote Act. The case was initially sent to federal court by the State Board of Elections, but Chief District Judge Richard Myers later ruled to move parts of the case back to the state court.
However, a recent ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Myers' decision, ensuring that the case will continue in federal court under Myers' jurisdiction. This decision marks a setback for the Republican plaintiffs who had hoped for the case to be returned to the state court.
In the ruling, Circuit Judge Nicole Berner stated that sending the case back to the state court was deemed 'improper.' The State Board of Elections had declined to comply with the plaintiffs' request to remove certain registered voters from the rolls, citing concerns about potential violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 within 90 days of a federal election.
The court's decision highlighted the interpretation of the Help America Vote Act, with Berner noting that the defendants argued that the Act actually prohibited them from removing the voters in question rather than mandating their removal. The legal battle over voter registrations in North Carolina continues as the federal court determines the next steps in this complex and contentious issue.
