Editorial: Voter confusion, not 'election integrity,' is real impact of new N.C. laws

The process for voting North Carolina’s March 5 primary elections – just 8 weeks away – has already started.

But thanks to state legislative leaders, just who will be able to cast ballots, what they’ll need when they mark their choices and other details of voting remain uncertain. Their claims of seeking to provide more “election integrity” are really resulting in more voter confusion.

Why?

Because legislative leaders waited as late as possible to handle major voting legislation – from massive changes in voting districts to the smallest details of who can vote and when they can vote. Several of those changes are now the subject of challenges in state and federal courts.

Legislative dawdling has placed undue and unnecessary pressure on those who want to raise legitimate questions and concerns. It puts judges – who MUST endeavor to provide a full and fair hearing while also seeking not to inhibit the election process -- an unnecessary bind.

The elements of the legislation weren’t a surprise, legislative leaders have been informally discussing them for months. It wasn’t that legislators spent all that much time actually dealing (at least according to official records) with the legislation.

In June a state Senate committee dealt with the bill, along with other legislation, in two days and the next week, the full Senate passed the legislation.

The bill then sat, for nearly two months, in a House committee before, on Aug. 15, it was handled and then the next day passed by the full House.

Gov. Roy Cooper, as was his duty, quickly dispatched the legislation back to the legislature with his veto on Aug. 24.

The bill then gathered dust for another two months, until finally the fully anticipated vote overriding Cooper’s veto came Oct. 10. Over 118 days, the legislature spent parts of just seven actually dealing with the legislation.

Only after the veto override, when the legislation became law and just two months from when candidates started filing to be on the ballot, was there any ability to officially raise any legal challenge.

Much of the same timeline follows for other critical election law changes. Redistricting maps weren’t enacted until Oct. 25.

Challenges to most newly enacted election laws – especially changes in election districts -- are a given regardless of the partisan origin of the legislation. Lawmakers are well aware of this and responsible legislators recognize the need to provide appropriate time for the challenges to try to avoid disrupting the campaign process and, more significantly, confusing voters.

Confusion and not concern for the electorate seems to be the result of the current legislative leaderships’ efforts in crafting and handling election law changes.

Rather than truly “fighting for election integrity” as they claim and making sure the electorate can easily and honestly cast ballots, these leaders just to muddle the voting process. That shouldn’t be the goal.