IBX News

A federal court judge’s recent move to block the photo ID requirement for voters has been met with plans to appeal by the state of North Carolina.

Judge Loretta Biggs’ action was highly criticized and drew the ire of the Republican Party.

“She is not acting in the best interest of the state of North Carolina,” said Pamlico GOP Chairma David Wickersham, called Biggs’ ruling a travesty. “We are frustrated by the continued efforts of the judiciary to override the will of the people.”

The impending appeal will not happen before the March 3 primary to avoid any voter confusion, and there will not be a photo ID requirement in place for the primary election, according to a statement from the office of NC Attorney General Josh Stein. 

North Carolina voters in 2018 were left to decide if a photo ID should be required in order to cast a vote. The amendment passed with 55 percent of the vote, and the requirement was to begin this year. 

Biggs’ ruling determined that the effort in 2018 to mandate photo IDs was intentional racial discrimination, and ultimately no different than a voter ID law that passed in 2013. That law was struck down by a federal appeals court in 2016. 

The court found that legislators targeted African-American voters by using a breakdown of voter behavior by race. Wickersham said Biggs’ move discourages people from participating in the democratic process. 

“It’s an example of how far one party will go to circumvent the right to vote and show photo ID at the polls,” he said. “The judiciary and the interpretation of their role in society doesn’t seem to be representative of what they should be doing for society. The people’s voices should be heard louder than one person on the judiciary.”