Lawmakers have passed a bill that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls.
State senators passed the bill as expected last night, but not before more than an hour of spirited debate. Republican Buck Newton told lawmakers requiring voters to bring ID with them to the polls will help combat instances of fraud.
Buck Newton: "Every person who has a right to vote in this state, their vote oughta count. Their vote oughta mean something. Their vote is not gonna mean anything if people can go out and vote fifteen times when they're not legally eligible to vote."
But instances of voter fraud are rare in North Carolina. Democrats say the bill is designed to prevent the elderly, minorities and women from getting to the polls-- groups that have tended to vote Democratic in the recent past. The bill now goes to the House for final concurrence.