The North Carolina Democratic Party has sued the state over the voter registration deadline. Yesterday, the Board of Elections announced the state's deadline would remain today, Oct. 14, despite heavy flooding in parts of the state.
"Under the totality of the circumstances, the voter registration deadline has resulted and will result in less opportunity for minorities than for other members of the electorate in North Carolina to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of their choice," reads the suit, which was filed with an accompanying restraining order asking the courts to compel the Board of Elections to move the date forward five days.
The state has same-day registration, which has made this issue less immediately pressing than in states like Florida where registration cuts off several weeks prior to Election Day. Early voting in North Carolina begins on Oct. 20, and lasts 17 days, and voters can register the same day they cast ballots during this window.
Still, Democratic politicians and civil rights groups in the state criticized the board's decision, saying voters needed more time. One of the lawyers named on the suit is Marc Elias, a Democratic Party attorney who has sued several states — including Florida — for voter registration cut offs.
Follow my colleague Sarah Smith's frequently updated post tracking election-related lawsuits across the country here.
