Looks like Rev. Dr. William Barber II is continuing his tradition of being long on hysterical rhetoric and short on facts.
Barber co-authored a column published in the N&O today , titled “If Voter ID Comes to NC, Apple and Amazon Shouldn’t.”
Right out of the gate, he starts with a whopper, asking if Apple and Amazon “stand with the people of North Carolina” in opposing a Voter ID requirement.
Even casual observers know that a voter ID requirement is actually one of the few issues that unites a vast majority of North Carolinians – in favor of it. The latest Civitas poll found 69% in favor of the proposed constitutional amendment; and voter ID has polled favorably in the 70% range for years. Elon polling found similar results, with 74% expressing support for voter ID.
Later, Barber essentially lays down an ultimatum for Apple and Amazon; if NC passes voter ID they can choose to either “condone or condemn bigotry and discrimination.” The message is absurd, and clear: if Apple or Amazon locates its new corporate campus in North Carolina, they have chosen to stand on the side of “bigotry.”
This too is problematic, for the simple fact that both Apple and Amazon already have significant operations in North Carolina. Recall Apple’s massive data farm in Maiden, a $1 billion facility brought to you courtesy of one of North Carolina’s largest corporate welfare deals in its history.
And Amazon already operates three large-scale fulfillment centers in North Carolina.
Making Barber’s “if you move to NC after passage of voter ID you obviously support bigotry” polemic even more silly and pointless is the fact that both Apple and Amazon already operate in many states that require various levels of voter identification. That list of states include some considered to have “strict photo ID requirements” such as Virginia, Indiana, Georgia and Tennessee.
Opponents of common-sense voter ID laws see the writing on the wall: North Carolinians overwhelmingly approve of the measure. All they have left is playing the harmful, divisive and baseless race card mixed with blatant lies about the popularity of voter ID.
