RALEIGH, N.C. -- A lawsuit filed on behalf of five North Carolina residents could have major ramifications for elections across the South.
A conservative group in Washington, D.C., The Center for Individual Rights, filed suit this month to overturn Justice Department review and a decision blocking the city of Kinston's attempt to have nonpartisan elections.
The Justice Department is charged with approving changes to the election process in cities, counties and states throughout the South and a handful of other states.
The department said nonpartisan elections would effectively disenfranchise black voters, even though Kinston's population is roughly 66 percent black.
The lawsuit aims to remove that power of oversight from the Justice Department.
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