Raleigh, NC – The N.C. General Assembly on December, 19, 2018 overrode Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of the bipartisan voter ID legislation, which had been mandated by voters in this year’s election when they approved a constitutional amendment requiring a photo ID to vote.

Despite being approved with 55% of the vote and earning bipartisan support in the General Assembly, the Governor defied the wishes of the voters and vetoed the legislation – calling such efforts “sinister,” “cynical” and “designed to suppress the rights of minority, poor and elderly voters.”

“The voters spoke loud and clear when they approved this common sense measure to protect the integrity of the ballot box,” said Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne). “It’s a shame Gov. Cooper chose to defy the will of the voters and put his personal agenda ahead of the citizens he was elected to serve. Fortunately, the General Assembly has acted to restore the will of the voters and make voter ID the law of the land.”

The Governor also incorrectly claimed that the bill failed to address issues with absentee ballot fraud. In fact, the bill included an amendment by a Democratic House member that places new safeguards on the absentee-by-mail process.

North Carolina will now join the already 34 other states who require some form of voter ID.

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