The Raleigh Report

 

From the Office of Representative William Brisson

March 17, 2011

 

We are 30 legislative days into this session and I am continuing my work to help improve our economy and education systems. One of the bills being considered is the voter suppression effort that was filed this week and I am providing you some information about that effort below.

 

Thank you as always for your interest in state government. In the meantime, please contact me if I can be of help.

 

 

Voter suppression

 

_The majority party introduced a bill this week designed to suppress voting by the elderly, minorities and college students. The bill would require voters to show a government approved photo identification card at the time they vote. The nonpartisan public policy group Democracy NC has condemned the bill as a “sham” and estimated that about 460,000 registered voters in the state lack the type of identification required under the bill. About a third of them are African-American and about a third are over the age of 65. The bill (H351) will require counties to pay for cost of providing free IDs to those who did not have them. It also makes it easier to vote by absentee ballot, although fraud by absentee ballot occurs at a rate 10 times higher than fraud committed at the polling place. Election fraud in general happens about five times in every 1 million, making our voting program one of the state’s most successful endeavors. I support open elections and am opposed to disenfranchising any voter. I will continue to work against this effort.

 

 

Disability Rights

 

_ Potential jurors with hearing disabilities could more easily serve in court, while potential jurors with disabilities that may prevent them from serving could ask to be excused from duty. The change makes what has been practice into law and comes in a bill (H234) approved in the House this week. It now goes to the Senate.

 

 

Please remember that you can listen to each day’s session, committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website at www.ncleg.net. Once on the site, select "Audio," and then make your selection – House Chamber, Senate Chamber, Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room.