Lawmakers Return After Thanksgiving to Spell out Voter ID Amendment, More | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal, and written by Kari Travis, associate editor.

    The 2018 ballot was loaded with constitutional amendments. Six, to be exact. Four will become part of the state constitution, but the General Assembly must pass enabling legislation for one, "Requires a photo ID to vote in person." It passed by a 55 percent-45 percent vote.

    The voter ID amendment is a workaround for a 2013 law struck down in court for violating the rights of minority voters. The statute defined acceptable identification as a state driver's license, a state-issued ID card, a military ID, or a U.S. passport. Under the guidance of this amendment, the legislature will make laws governing which forms of identification voters can present at polling places before they cast ballots.

    The General Assembly will return Nov. 27 to pass legislation implementing the amendment, and probably taking up other business. While more than 30 states have some form of voter ID requirement, including three of North Carolina's neighbors, courts recently have given tougher scrutiny to states which have implemented photo ID mandates.

    Lawmakers will have to decide which forms of identification the state will accept when registered voters cast ballots - and if the new law will allow voters who don't have driver's licenses (the ID most widely accepted) to get a state-approved ID at no cost, and where to obtain it.


A voter ID law passed in 2013 was struck down in court for violating the rights of minority voters. (CJ Photo by Kari Travis)
    Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, who chairs the House Rules Committee, said in June if the amendment passed, the enabling legislation would address concerns brought up by opponents of the measure. Groups such as the NAACP have said publicly they intend to protest and challenge legislative action.

    The 2018 statewide ballot had five other amendments. Here's a rundown of what else we voted for, what we voted against, and what it all means now that election day is past.

• Right to Hunt and Fish - Approved, 57 percent-43 percent

    Creates a constitutional right to hunt and fish.

    What it does

    The amendment subjects the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife to laws that preserve wildlife conservation and management. It also classifies hunting and fishing as a means of managing and controlling North Carolina's wildlife.

• Marsy's Law - Approved, 62 percent-38 percent

    Expands the constitutional rights of crime victims.

    What it does

    The amendment boosts and expands multiple rights for crime victims, including the right to receive timely notice of court proceedings, the right to be present at pleas, sentencing, and parole hearings, and the right to present views and concerns to the governor or agency taking an action that could release the accused. The measure was part of an expensive, national campaign to enact similar amendments in other states.

• Income Tax Cap Amendment - Approved, 57 percent-43 percent

    Changes cap on income tax from 10 percent to seven percent.

    What it does

    The amendment prohibits the state government from raising the income tax rate above seven percent. The state's current personal income tax rate is 5.499 percent.

• Judicial Selection for Midterm Vacancies - Defeated, 33 percent-67 percent

    Creates a process involving a commission, legislature, and governor to appoint judges to vacant state seats.

    What it would've done

    The amendment would have created a nine-person commission, members of which would have been chosen by state legislators, to select potential judicial appointees for vacant seats between elections. The amendment would've enabled lawmakers to have significantly more sway over the judicial branch.

• Legislative Appointments to Elections Board and Commissions - Defeated, 38 percent-62 percent

    Makes the legislature responsible for appointments to state election board.

    What it would've done

    The measure would've given the North Carolina General Assembly authority to appoint members to the Bipartisan State Board of Ethics and Elections Enforcement, the group that oversees ethics and election laws.

    The legislature also may need to revisit the structure of the elections board in its post-Thanksgiving session. The current version of the board was ruled unconstitutional in mid-October by a three-judge Superior Court panel. But the panel delayed enforcement of its order to allow the current election results to be certified.

    The court said the current board will be dissolved Dec. 3.