Case Summary
Southern Coalition for Social Justice brought this challenge in 2023 to new restrictions on Same-Day Registration in North Carolina on behalf of three voting non-profits (Democracy North Carolina, N.C. Black Alliance, and the League of Women Voters of North Carolina) with assistance from co-counsel Steptoe LLP.
In their complaint filed in the Middle District of North Carolina, plaintiffs allege the new Same-Day Registration restrictions in SB 747 place an unconstitutional burden on the fundamental right to vote in violation of the 14th Amendment and intentionally targets young North Carolinians in violation of the 26th Amendment. SB 747 places the fate of a ballot cast using same-day registration on whether a single piece of mail reaches that voter. If that piece of mail goes undelivered — by accident, negligence, or otherwise — the voter’s ballot is thrown out and their registration is canceled, with no notice provided and no opportunity to be heard. Young North Carolinian's use Same-Day Registration with more frequency than other voters.
Why it's Important
Passed under the pretext of "election protection," SB 747's restrictions on Same-Day Registration reflect a disturbing trend seen across the South in which legislators cite the repeatedly disproved claims of fraud and impropriety around the 2020 election to justify further restrictions on the right to vote. North Carolina voters are paying a severe cost through these changes, which operate at every turn to make voting harder, less certain, and less accessible. Young voters, who already vote at disproportionately lower levels than other age groups, have become the target of further voter suppression.
Case Documents
Order Denying Summary Judgement and Motion to Dismiss
Complaint
Related Media
North Carolina Restricted Student Voting After ‘Influence Campaign’ by Cleta Mitchell
Civil Rights Groups Headed to Trial Over Senate Bill 747
‘Election Integrity’ Activists at Heart of 2023 Omnibus Election Bill, Evidence Shows
Civil rights groups file lawsuit against youth voting restrictions
SCSJ Condemns Voting Omnibus Bill as Blatant Disenfranchisement
Other Related Cases
The Prosecution of the Alamance Five
VOTER SUPPRESSION | CLOSED Case Summary Filed 06/08/2018 Updated 06/06/2024 In cases that highlighted the intersection between our justice system reform and voting rights work, Southern Coalition for Social Justice represented five individuals who were charged in Alamance County, North Carolina, with voting while ineligible due to criminal convictions. We filed motions to dismiss the…
Read More The Prosecution of the Alamance Five
Republican National Committee v. North Carolina State Board of Elections, et. al.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the North Carolina Republican Party filed a complaint on Sept. 12 to stop University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) students from using their digital Mobile One Cards as identification cards to vote in the 2024 election.
Read More Republican National Committee v. North Carolina State Board of Elections, et. al.
Bouvier v. Porter
This was a North Carolina state court defamation case on behalf of four registered voters (Louis M. Bouvier, Jr., Karen Andrea Niehans, Samuel R. Niehans, and Joseph D. Golden) who were wrongfully accused of committing fraud in the 2016 elections by voting in multiple states or being ineligible to vote because of felony convictions.
Read More Bouvier v. Porter