NAACP Weighs In On Voter ID, Criticizes Board of Elections

The North Carolina NAACP is criticizing the State Board of Elections for not educating voters and poll workers on the latest election rules. The group held a press event Tuesday to share its views with residents and the media.

Given the changes and legal challenges to the state's election laws over the past few years, it would be easy to get confused about what it takes to vote.

Speaking in Durham, North Carolina NAACP president Rev. William Barber, II, said things like voter ID regulations have made it less clear to residents whether they can vote and where.

“What is happening is what we said would happen: that this bill would suppress the vote, would create confusion, it was unnecessary from the get-go,” Barber said. "And so that's why today we wanted to make sure that North Carolinians and the media got the right information.”

While the state is asking voters to present government ID at the polls, residents can still vote via a provisional ballot if they can provide their birthday and the last four digits of their social security number.

The NAACP has been fighting many of the new election laws, including voter ID, in the courts and in public.

The trial challenging those overhauls starts January 25th.