Federal Judge Weighs Evidence As North Carolina Voter ID Trial Wraps Up

A federal trial testing North Carolina's photo ID requirement wrapped up in Winston-Salem Monday.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the North Carolina NAACP are suing the state. The lawsuit centers around a sweeping elections law the General Assembly passed in 2013.

They say the law is unconstitutional and violates a key section of the Voting Rights Act.  Rev. William Barber, president of the state's NAACP chapter, says it also disenfranchises minority voters who don't have the proper ID.

“And there's no evidence of fraud. This law is a deterrent. This law is a discouragement. This law adds burdens to lack people and poor minorities,” says Barber.

But the state disagrees. Their attorneys say the plaintiffs have offered no hard evidence that any registered voters will be stopped from casting a ballot. The defense also says it has been educating voters on the changes and North Carolina is one of more than 20 states who have added new voting requirements in recent years.

There's no set timeline for when U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder's decision will come down.

The law is supposed to take effect in time for the March 15 primary.

*You can follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerb_news.