NAACP cautions NC counties on voter ID legislation

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — North Carolina’s largest civil rightsorganization is cautioning county governments not to try and enact local versions of a voter identification bill vetoed last year by Gov. Bev Perdue.

The letter from the state NAACP chapter was sent to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners on Monday.

State NAACP president the Rev. William Barber says counties trying to enact their own voter ID regulations would be in violation of the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection. The group also opposes the state measure, calling it a way to disenfranchise voters.

Wake County commissioners voted Monday to endorse the original General Assembly bill rather than a local version. The House of Representatives could try to override Perdue’s veto when it meets next month.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)