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Voter ID Bill Moves Through Legislature

A voter ID bill that would require residents to show photo identification cards at the polls continues to move through the legislature.

The bill passed the House elections committee along party lines late yesterday. It now will now move to the appropriations committee. It's a controversial Republican-sponsored measure that advocates say will help fight voter fraud. The bill would require residents to present one of a number of state or federal photo IDs at the polls when voting. But Democrats believe the proposal is a regressive measure aimed at keeping many of their supporters away from the polls. Democratic representative Jennifer Weiss of Cary says the number of voter fraud cases in North Carolina is miniscule.

Jennifer Weiss: "I cannot believe that we are trying to solve a problem for which there is no evidence and impose incredible barriers to law abiding citizens in our state. "

The measure is modeled after laws passed in Georgia and Indiana in 2005.

Jessica Jones covers both the legislature in Raleigh and politics across the state. Before her current assignment, Jessica was given the responsibility to open up WUNC's first Greensboro Bureau at the Triad Stage in 2009. She's a seasoned public radio reporter who's covered everything from education to immigration, and she's a regular contributor to NPR's news programs. Jessica started her career in journalism in Egypt, where she freelanced for international print and radio outlets. After stints in Washington, D.C. with Voice of America and NPR, Jessica joined the staff of WUNC in 1999. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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