Federal Court Strikes Down North Carolina Voter ID Law

A federal appeals court has found that a North Carolina voter ID law was enacted "with discriminatory intent" and has been blocked.

An opinion issued Friday by a three-judge panel with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond reverses a lower-court's ruling that had upheld the law.

“We can only conclude that the North Carolina General Assembly enacted the challenged provisions of the law with discriminatory intent," the opinion says. "Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the district court to the contrary and remand with instructions to enjoin the challenged provisions of the law."

Those provisions include the controversial ID provision, changes to early voting and same-day registration and more.

The ruling brings into question what rules will be in place for the November general elections, which includes hotly-contested races at the presidential and gubernatorial levels.

The North Carolina Board of Elections said in a statement Friday that, barring any guidance from the courts, voters will not be required to show ID on election day.

The board also says early voting will run from Oct. 20 through Nov. 5, that same-day registration will be available at early voting sites, and that if voters appear at a precinct that's not their own, their vote will still count.

Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed the voting measures into law, responded Friday afternoon.

"Photo IDs are required to purchase Sudafed, cash a check, board an airplane or enter a federal court room,” McCrory said. “Yet, three Democratic judges are undermining the integrity of our elections while also maligning our state.”

McCrory says the state is making immediate plans to appeal and explore its legal options.

(Ed.: This post has been updated with responses from Gov. McCrory and information from the Board of Elections.)