Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly are not ready to throw in the towel yet on efforts to overhaul state voting laws.
Democrats and liberal advocacy groups cheered the U.S. Supreme Court's decision this week not to review a lower court's ruling that struck down the 2013 election overhaul, but the victory may be short-lived. Republicans are considering whether to pass revised legislation that's scaled down and passes court scrutiny.
Speaking to WFAE's Charlotte Talks on Wednesday, state Sen. Jeff Tarte of Mecklenburg County says it's important to at least enact a measure requiring people to show a photo ID at the polls, anything more would need to be carefully considered.
"You have to pragmatically think through what's appropriate, what will pass muster with the courts, what's appropriate constitutionally, what does not infringe or disenfranchise any voters," he said, "we should never do that in any way, shape, or form."
Tarte did not say how soon new legislation could be introduced, only that lawmakers "will continue to look at it."
The 2013 Republican-passed election overhaul required people to show a photo ID at the polls, reduced the number of early voting days, eliminated same-day registration, out-of-precinct voting, and pre-registration for 16 and 17-year-olds.
It was struck down by an appellate court, which found the law discriminated against African-Americans with "almost surgical precision."
