North Carolina North Carolina enacted same-day registration in 2007, easing a barrier to vot ing by allowing voters to register on Election Day. Asa result, North Carolina issued fewer provisional ballots in 2008 than in 2004." At the same time, North Carolina also saw an increase in voter turnout.'"* Although it did not affect the 2012 data that we analyzed, it should be noted that North Carolina reversed the gains made in 2007 when Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed a bill that dramatically increases barriers to voting into law in 2013.” Not only does the bill end same-day registration, but italso short- ens early voting days, institutes an ID requirement to vote, and ends pre- registration for 16- and 17-year-olds who will be 18 on Election Day. One Republican official has resigned from a precinct chair post after saying that if the voter ID law “hurts a bunch of lazy blacks that wants (sic) the government to give them everything, so be it” He also claimed that the new voter sup- pression law was designed to “kick the Democrats in the butt." This is an important reminder that while we have found large variances in the ‘voting experience at the county level, restrictive and suppressive measures passed by the state can have far-reaching, detrimental effects on citizens being able to exercise their right to vote. ‘That being said, the counties with the poorest election performance results in 2012—before the new law was in effect—were Hertford, Pender, and Scotland counties. In particulay all three counties were among the 20 worst inthe state oon the rate at which voters were removed from the voting list. Out of the 79 North Carolina counties that we evaluated, Hertford also had the highest rate of absentee ballots rejected in the state while Pender was the sixth-worst county on this factor. 35. Center for American Progress Action Fund | Unequal Access 2012 North Carolina voting law snapshot Voter registration: + Online registration option: No"! + Same-day registration option: Yes, but only during early voting, ‘not Election Day (North Caro: lina neve law will do away with same-day registration in 2014) * Deadline: 25 days before the election, unless registering dur ing early voting’ Voting administration: The North Carolina State Board ofElec- tionsis tasked with the responsi- bilty of administering elections in North Carolina, iis the only bipartisan supervisory board in ‘the North Carolina state govern- Voter ID/residency require- ‘ments: Other than the standard HAVA requirements, North Caro- lina did not have a voter ID aw."North Carolina: Best and worst counties For the complete list of county data, please see Appendix A or visit the interactive tables that accompany the ‘online version of this report. Worst 10 counties county rankings foreach actor in parentheses, 1 = worst performing county Rate of Rate of Overall Voter provisional provisional Absentee Voter state Voter. — registration ballots cast, _ballotsre- _ballotrejection removal county rank —tumoutrate —rate,2012——-2012——_—jected, 2012 rate, 2012, rate, 2012 Heron! 1 GLBEN ATH) STE S5WT «ROTI TS) Pender 2 6Som(e) Sam As) LA) ISB) BH) 12736 9) Sealand 3 S363) aOR) THIB)TS.AHTA)——SSHISH) T1108 (17) rami ee altos 5 632808 LRH) Sae(IT)—SOHISA) 352861) (13) Pasquotank © Ssom2N) BIS) S612) SSO LH6) BH) 129986 (7) Wayne ee Hamet 8 sro) aR) 785) S6HKTG) TSH) 111186116) nstow 9 s12%(1) 779K) SLO) 34H TE) OES) BT Ccombetland to S74%6(15) —sees2) SL) ASH IRA]——23%6) 110830) Best 10 counties county rankings for each actorin parentheses 1 = worst performing county Rate of Rate of Overall Voter provisional provisional Absentee Voter state Voter registration ballots cast, ballotsre- _ballotrejection removal county rank —tumoutrate rate, 2012 -2012——_—jected, 2012 rate, 2012, rate, 2012 ‘reset 70 «68% Te) «STORE «SH «CRS ODO TE) —AOEIER) Chatham 7 e038) 1051801) 25KLAT) SORES) —SsHLIN) 95H LA) Moore 72 71396170) sassK5B) DSHS) OHELAT] BIS) Fost 7 awl) — L9H LGB) BHT) SETHE) TOHLAA) 9.25% (49) curtuck 74 AAS6(45) Ones) L9H) ATHRLET] OHI) ASG) Wake 5 4809) 19%) 22H) eH) 9.90835) are 76 70056166) TORwITS) INST) SASHA] OHIO) TG) Union 77380) 10638076) 2a) AAO] LOHR] 78675) Cherokee 7a 509% (20)—TOLHI67) OSH) 8H L6H) IES) 788(79) Medenburg 7 TSSKUS) 133807) 1860) AHS) 81372) ‘erhda ome wgeaaton mcr appew sme han ob pace See meteor me eal “ ‘auc co on ges ni ae aft Cnr Baars sn asi Coin ef end 36. Center for American Progress Action Fund | Unequal Access