College Democrats of NC to host a press event announcing their legislative agenda

Thanks for pointing that out. It's fixed! CDNC Lobby Day is Wed.

Just got back from WCHL to record one of those "the commentators" segments where they let anyone sound off for 90 seconds on any issue with a local tie in. So I gave one with a Chapel Hill student focused tie in on the Voter Suppression bill that went something like whats below. For the record, they make you say your name at the start and end, I don't just enjoy the sound of saying my own name.

This is Jake Gellar-Goad. I'm a Chapel Hill resident, and I've got something to say.

The state General Assembly may soon pass a Photo Voter ID law designed to make voting much less accessible. On the one hand voter fraud has been shown to be a nearly non-existent problem in North Carolina given the voter registration requirements already in place, and there’s the fact that casting even one fraudulent vote makes you a felon. On the other hand, WRAL recently reported that nearly one million registered North Carolina voters don't have an appropriate photo ID.

I recently attended a constituent lobbying day at the General Assembly to share my concerns about this bill, and I heard stories from many different kinds of folks who shared concerns about their votes being suppressed. I heard concerns from students, from the elderly, from communities of color, and from so many others.

As something of a college town, Chapel Hill has a vested interest in encouraging our student population to vote and to be civically engaged. Getting young people to vote is hard enough to begin with, without additional restrictions and costs. And how often does a college student have a valid driver license, with a current address? I think back to my days as a freshman, and I didn’t update my license when I was living on campus after moving from my hometown. Many freshmen don’t even have cars, which gives them even less incentive to pay to update their license. And how many people update it again every time they change dorms, or change apartments?

The fact is that this voter suppression bill will make voting more difficult, and more expensive. I heard the figure that only 18 confirmed cases of voter fraud occurred in the 2008 elections, even with record turnout. Yet there are 1 million registered voters who could be detoured from voting if this bill passes. Which makes our society less democratic? You do the math.

Please let your elected officials in the General Assembly know that you oppose the Voter Photo ID bill, and above all please call or e-mail Governor Perdue to ask her to veto this if it hits her desk.

This is Jake Gellar-Goad.

with provisional ballots you can vote if there is confusion around which precinct you should be voting in I believe (although you still have to be in the right county of course).

But the idea you mentioned would be substantially better than anything that will actually come out of a GOP controlled General Assembly unfortunately. I think if they insist on restricting voting, it should be done in the least detrimental way. Including allowing college student IDs to count.

Still not sure how the idea would help the homeless.

It is still a pointless law. You think those little pieces of paper can't be faked more easily than a Photo ID?

Come on.

There is a much larger problem with fake IDs than there is with fake voters.

This is a solution in search of a problem, a waste of money and effort, and a deliberate attempt to make voting more difficult for populations who tend to vote Democratic.

No. No. No. A thousand times no.

that college students have been paying to drive or fly across state lines to get away with casting 2 votes instead of one already?

in any statistically significant numbers.

Again, you are trying to "solve" a problem which does not exist.

A college student voting is not a bad thing.

Republicans suck.

you need to read something other than Civitas Review. Try this:

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/dead_voters_in_washingto...

If they wont let you look at the News & Observer at whatever arm of the puppet show you work for, here is the operative language:

UPDATE: McLean clarified Wednesday that, though the names of four dead people were included on the voter history list, there was no indication anyone actually cast a ballot under the names of the deceased. The matter was a simple clearical error by poll workers, she said.

"There were no zombie voters," McLean said.

Bottom line, the irregularities were discovered with normal processes, jut as they should be, and the vote will be rescheduled. Again, no need to make every voter in the state comply with a provision of questionable constitutionality, and no need to make the state spend $20MM to avoid disenfranchising people for no good reason.

And thanks for your adult argument style. Real nice.

Republicans don't suck? I don't know, man. Seems kind of far-fetched, to me...

:)