Advocacy groups join fray over North Carolina governor votes

By JONATHAN DREW
Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Voting-rights advocates have joined the legal wrangling over the counting of votes in North Carolina’s close governor’s contest.

Lawyers from Southern Coalition for Social Justice asked a federal judge late Wednesday to reject a lawsuit questioning the verification of voters who used same-day registration to cast ballots. The filing was done by some of the same lawyers and advocates who successfully sued to overturn parts of a wide-ranging elections law enacted by Republicans in the General Assembly.

They’re opposing a lawsuit filed this week by the conservative Civitas Institute. Civitas says the state cannot finish counting votes until it verifies addresses of voters who used same-day registration. A hearing is scheduled next week.

Unofficial statewide results show Democrat Roy Cooper leading Republican Gov. Pat McCrory by about 7,700 votes.

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