RALEIGH – North Carolina voters tonight rejected two of six amendments to the state constitution proposed by the General Assembly. The ACLU of North Carolina opposed all six amendments and, as a member of the statewide “By the People” coalition, worked to educate voters about their dangerous impact.
The two defeated amendments would have taken power away from the governor to make appointments to empty judicial seats and the State Board of Ethics and Elections Enforcement, respectively, and given them instead to the General Assembly.
Karen Anderson, Executive Director of the ACLU of North Carolina, released the following statements:
On the defeat of two amendments
“The rejection of these two amendments shows that voters strongly believe in our state government’s separation of powers and do not support extreme power grabs by state legislators bent on rigging the system in their favor.”
On the passage of the photo ID voter restriction amendment
“The last time North Carolina enacted a photo ID requirement for voting, lawmakers designed restrictions that a federal court found targeted Black voters ‘with almost surgical precision.’ When the lame-duck General Assembly convenes to decide how to fill in the blanks of this new restriction, nothing short of the future of voting rights in North Carolina will be on the line.
“We will do everything in our power to hold lawmakers accountable and ensure that the final version of this law prevents no eligible voter from casting their ballot. Whether they are students, seniors, people of color, rural residents, or disabled, voters must be allowed to use a broad range of IDs, obtain a free photo ID if they need one, and be granted exceptions in reasonable circumstances. It’s time for people across the state to stand up for their fellow North Carolinians and let lawmakers know that any discrimination against eligible voters will not be tolerated.”
On the passage of the “victim’s rights” amendment known as Marsy’s Law
“From funding to implementation, many of the details of these new requirements for our court system remain vague and undecided. This amendment does not change the fact that every person who appears in our courts is guaranteed the right to a fair and speedy trial. We will closely monitor the implementation of Marsy’s Law in North Carolina in the months and years ahead, while working to minimize any harmful barriers this amendment may create toward ensuring justice for all.”