Analyst says black voter turnout increased regardless of law

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (AP) — An elections analyst testifying at a hearing on North Carolina’s elections law says black voter turnout increased on a national level, regardless of whether a state had such provisions as early voting or same-day voter registration.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports Sean Trende of RealClearPolitics said Tuesday that he studied all 50 states and Washington, DC, to see whether there was any correlation between election laws and black voter turnout. He said he concluded there was not a statistically significant correlation.

The state argues that high black voter turnout in the 2014 election undercuts allegations that the law is discriminatory.

The NC NAACP and other groups are suing the state and Gov. Pat McCrory over the new law, which they say disproportionately burden blacks, Hispanics, poor people and young people.

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