As May 8 approaches, elections aren’t the only things state officials are worrying about. The North Carolina General Assembly is in the midst of a battle to override Gov. Beverly Perdue’s veto of a law that would require citizens to present photo identification before being able to vote. The law is only a few votes away from passing.

[quote]I just think this photo ID thing would be the kiss of death for what is usually a wonderful community day of voting together. — Chalmers Brumbaugh, political science professor and election judge.[/quote]

Chalmers Brumbaugh, professor of political science and election judge, said the law is a terrible idea and is an attempt to solve a problem that rarely occurs: voter impersonation. If there is a problem, it occurs at the registration stage, where voters, who should be asked for photo identification, are not required to present a photo ID, Brumbaugh said. Because voters would be required to bring photo ID on Election Day, it would delay the voting process as a whole.

“I just think this photo ID thing would be the kiss of death for what is usually a wonderful community day of voting together,” Brumbaugh said. “I like the community aspect of it. People say hi to each other, they’re smiling, (saying) ‘How’re you doing?’ and that stuff. Now if they’ve been waiting for an hour, they’re not high-fiving each other so much.”

Brumbaugh said the law, if put in place, will affect students, particularly out-of-state residents, because they will not be able to vote without some form of North Carolina identification. Students from out of state are currently able to vote in the May 8 primaries as long as they have not voted in another state and have proof of residency. If the law passes, students will no longer be able to present information about their residency on campus because they will be required to show photo identification and thus may or may not be able to vote in future elections.

“This is pretty much a way for the Republican party to reduce the Democratic (vote) because it disproportionally hits students, older people like my dad who no longer has a driver’s license, people who simply don’t have photo IDs who don’t drive,” Brumbauugh said. “And that tends to disproportionally be people of color.”

But for the most part, students from North Carolina do not seem concerned about the possibility of the law getting passed. Freshman Sarah Neuhauser, a resident of North Carolina, said she doesn’t see why people would disagree with the law to require photo ID because it prevents voters from voting under the names of others.

“(The law) is a little bit drastic, but I think it makes sense,” Neuhauser said.

Sophomore Frank Garcia,also a resident of North Carolina, said he thinks the legislature is fine because it proves that a person is from North Carolina and prevents the possibility of students voting in two different states.

Brumbaugh said that while the law has passed in several states and is being discussed in many state legislatives across the country, he hopes the General Assembly will not pass the law in North Carolina.

“Photo voter ID is an absolute abomination as a solution to a really non-existent problem,” Brumbaugh said.