No we are not surprised. We saw the writing on the wall. Yesterday’s reports from the mainstream media explaining that the governor had received more emails from people opposing voter photo ID legislation than those who support it was a good indicator that the governor was getting ready to make the announcement.
It is interesting though, knowing that the vast majority of voters in North Carolina and across the nation support the voter photo ID requirement, that the Governor would use such carefully chosen but thinly veiled words to accuse the people who support voter ID of racism. This is the governor’s explanation on why she vetoed the bill:
“There was a time in North Carolina history when the right to vote was enjoyed only by some citizens rather than by all. That time is past, and we should not revisit it.”
So, with more than 80 percent of the voters in this state supporting voter ID, you might ask, “Why would she veto this legislation and at the same time make accusations of racism toward the voters of North Carolina?”
I can only surmise. It’s all about re-election (again not a big surprise). The far-left radical fringe of the Democratic Party will now be there for her in the coming election. They were the loud, shrill voices opposing voter ID from the beginning. They were frequent visitors to the legislature and have kept the mainstream media engaged with their unfounded statistics and numbers.
I found the list of organizations Perdue can count on by visiting the Democracy NC website. Democracy NC is a liberal organization that led the fight against voter ID in North Carolina. According to their website they partner with the many organizations below. The website explains the value of the partnerships by saying they “allow us to quickly collaborate with others on common goals – giving us greater impact with candidates and elected officials.”
| AARP |
| NC NAACP |
| NC Voters for Clean Elections |
| Blueprint NC* |
| NC Women United |
| Latin American Coalition |
| NC Lobbying & Government Reform Coalition |
| AMEXCAN |
| Alliance of Black Elected Officials |
| NC Justice Center |
| Conservation Council |
| Conservation Network |
| North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections is a large coalition of organizations |
| The North Carolina Center for Voter Education |
| Common Cause North Carolina |
| NC Policy Watch |
| The Common Sense Foundation |
| The North Carolina Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform |
| GenerationEngage |
| League of Women Voters |
| The NC NAACP |
| El Pueblo |
| Equality NC |
| The Alliance of North Carolina Black Elected Officials |
| The A Philip Randolph Institute |
| Organize North Carolina |
| The Coalition to End Homelessness |
| The Community Reinvestment Association of North Carolina |
| NC Fair Share |
| The North Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations |
| The North Carolina Community Development Initiative |
| The NC Housing Coalition |
| The NC Justice Center |
| The Carolina Justice Policy Center |
| People of Faith Against the Death Penalty |
| Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation |
| NCCADV |
| The North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault |
| North Carolinians Against Gun Violence |
| The North Carolina Conservation Network |
| The Conservation Council of NC |
| The Conservation Trust for North Carolina |
| Democracy NC Member Coalitions |
| Charlotte |
| several national fraternities and sororities |
| Working Families Win |
| ACORN |
| Charlotte HELP |
| the Latin American Coalition |
| Urban League |
| Fayetteville/Cumberland |
| NAACP |
| Fayetteville-Cumberland County Ministerial Council |
| Pastors’ Coalition |
| National Pan-Hellenic Council the |
| Junior League |
| a radio station and other groups |
| · Greenville/Pitt |
| · NAACP |
| · the AKA’s Delta’s and Omega Psi Phi’s |
| · League of Women Voters |
| · the SCLC |
| · local business such as Burton Family Dental |
| · Churches Outreach Network and other organizations |
| · Greensboro Guilford Forsyth |
| · the AKA’s Delta’s |
| · CHANGE |
| · High Point African-American Initiative |
| · Minister’s Conference |
| · Urban League |
| · Black Leadership Roundtable |
| · several re-entry organizations and other groups |
| *Blueprint North Carolina is a partnership of more than 40 different local organization Our goal is to influence NC state policy so that people here benefit from more progressive policies such as better access to health care higher wages more affordable housing a safer cleaner environment and freedom from discrimination |
| Leadership Committee Members |
| Center for Community Self-Help/Center for Responsible Lending |
| Center for Death Penalty Litigation |
| Conservation Council of NC Foundation |
| Democracy NC |
| NC Alliance of Black Elected Officials |
| NC Housing Coalition Inc |
| NC Minority Support Center |
| Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina |
| Partner Organizations |
| State Partner Organizations |
| APhilip Randolph Institute |
| American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU) |
| Common Cause Education Fund of NC |
| Conservation Trust of NC |
| Disability Rights NC |
| Institute for Southern Studies |
| NARAL Pro-Choice NC Foundation |
| NC Against Gun Violence |
| NC Center for Voter Education |
| NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault |
| NC Community Development Initiative |
| NC Environmental Defense |
| NC Institute of Minority Economic Development |
| Planned Parenthood Health Systems |
| Southeast Raleigh Vicinity Emerging |
| Southern Alliance for Clean Energy |
| Traction |
| Unifour Organizing Coalition |
| Action for Children |
| Carolina Justice Policy Center |
| Community Reinvestment Association – NC |
| Covenant with North Carolina’s Children Inc |
| Environment NC |
| Fair Trial Initiative |
| John Muir Foundation (Sierra Club) |
| NC Advocates for Justice Foundation |
| NC Association of CDCs |
| NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence |
| NC Coalition to End Homelessness |
| NC Conservation Network |
| NC Latino Coalition |
| Southeast Regional Economic Justice Network |
| Southern Coalition for Social Justice |
| Unifour Organizing Coalition |
| WakeUP Wake County Inc |
Excellent summary and a grim reminder of what we are up against.
These voter ID laws are just a thinly veiled attempt to disenfranchise Americans who wish to vote (unless, of course, the state wishes to pay for everyone to have a mandatory photo ID.)