Thanks for reading through to the end…
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.
The Mountain Xpress cartoon of January 23, 2016 by Randy Moulton attempts to rather strongly imply that ID is no longer required when voting. This is FALSE. Voter ID is absolutely required to have your vote counted in future elections in North Carolina.
bit.ly/23kDaUt
Reverend Barber, depicted in the cartoon, is on record attempting to mislead the voting public in the same way: “The state NAACP wants voters to know that there are ways to cast a ballot this year even without photo identification, but the State Board of Elections is worried that the group’s message is misleading.”
bit.ly/1Q2Sfmh
The change to the law referenced in the cartoon, implemented under House Bill 836, does NOT relieve voters from their obligation to present valid state-issued ID when voting.
bit.ly/1CrbJbX
It does, however, accommodate certain hardship cases. House Bill 836, which passed unanimously (less a few votes) in both the House and Senate, allows a voter to declare (in a sworn affidavit, co-signed by a public official, and under penalty of perjury) that they have a “reasonable impediment” to possessing current and valid photo identification. They will then be given a provisional ballot to cast their vote. A provisional ballot allows a voter to cast a vote during the election period, but the ballot is not officially counted until the local Board of Elections can verify a person’s identity.
bit.ly/1Vgi7wt
For more information on the state of the law, see the NC Board of Elections website:
bit.ly/1ZJcbx8
It’s time amateur partisan activists to stop misleading the public as a strategy to regain political power.
Everything has a reason; therefore everyone without ID has a reason for not having it. Perhaps it is low metabolism brought about by too much GMO wheat for example. The point is that such people should still bother to go to the polls to discuss their situation; and that point is correct.
Perhaps it is difficulty concentrating on errands due to childhood lead exposure.
LOL, fools don’t understand that they should do everything in their utmost regard to keep the elections honest lulz. Merely because an angry populace that doesn’t believe in the electoral process anymore is one that will devolve into something very bad lulz. Witness the anger against what is considered the establishment for now. And realize that will just be projected onto government employees, to illegals and welfare recipients, and to the likes of academia and unions if this lunacy continues LOL. Eventually this madness of vilifying people in order to keep power will come to a head as the doctrine of PC is seen for nothing more than a way to control the thoughts and actions and to shame only certain groups lulz. Oh, it already is LOL.
Exactly Alan…but they didn’t put an exception in for that.
The fact remains…if you don’t have an ID you don’t DESERVE to vote! And if you don’t have one, you probably don’t care about
voting! MANY MANY people should not be voting due to their complete lack of knowledge as taught in government screwls for the past 2-3 generations – since the 70s. Seriously, MOST people are NOT qualified to vote based on their anti American indoctrination in government screwls. fact.
“Vote early and vote often”
-DNC CREED
LOL, this system doesn’t work if taxpayers and those that don’t pay are treated equally at the polls. It’s a republic and not a democracy. But what we’re seeing now is mob rule and many stupid enough to actually give away their rights in order to promote SJW causes. Or that rights can somehow be marginalized because they are deemed irrelevant such as the 2nd lulz. Not a good sign of things to come as the masses of idiots who can tell you any stat about a sports figure, yet don’t understand that the Bill of Rights and Constitution are actually documents that keeps government in check is why we are in this mess lulz. The biggest threat to freedom is a nation of people that can’t be responsible for themselves, have no knowledge of the power they actually hold over the government, and have absolutely to values besides how much they can screw each other over lulz. In other words, a growing segment of the population raised off the government.
You said it, Yep. The Republicans do not want to safeguard the integrity of elections by preventing voter impersonation that doesn’t exist. They want to safeguard the integrity of elections by disenfranchising undesirable elements that they believe have no right to exist. We just have stop them.
Please tell me where in the US Constitution it says that one must present an ID to vote.
Ahhhh! Government over reach! States’ rights now! It’s Obama’s fault!
Never mind that certain groups in this ‘fair’ country have been disenfranchised via poll taxes, literacy laws, etc.
Shall I bring up Don Yelton’s comments, or does the GOP require their voters to have that tattooed on their arm?