Lawyers made closing arguments in Winston-Salem on Friday in a federal case challenging provisions in North Carolina’s same-day voter registration laws.
The case centers on Senate Bill 747, which lets elections officials reject a same-day voter registration if a single address verification mailer bounces back. The old rule allowed for two failed mailers.
In closing arguments, plaintiffs said the law targets younger voters, who tend to move frequently. That demographic was the one most likely to need multiple mailers to be reached, according to expert testimony.
Attorneys also said the evidence shows the law was developed with undue influence from voter integrity groups, who seek to eliminate same-day registration altogether.
The defense countered that lawmakers had limited contact with those groups and crafted the policy in response to constituent concerns. And an expert testified that S.B. 747 didn’t result in significantly more ballot cancellations.
Representatives from the State Board of Elections emphasized that North Carolinians still have multiple ways to register and vote early, and noted that roughly half of U.S. states don’t allow same-day registration at all.
A ruling on the case isn’t expected for at least four weeks.
