Time for Governor McCrory to Come Clean About Voter Suppression Law

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, Communications Director, [email protected], 336-255-2711

TIME FOR GOVERNOR MCCRORY TO COME CLEAN ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION LAW

Statement by James Andrews about NCGOP Executive Committee member Don Yelton’s appearance on The Daily Show
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-23-2013/suppressing-the-vote

RALEIGH, N.C. (October 24, 2013) – Governor McCrory has defended H.589, the omnibus elections changes he signed into law last summer as “common sense legislation” and characterized the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit against North Carolina over the voting law as an “overreach and without merit.” 1

Last night a senior member of the North Carolina Republican Party contradicted claims made by the Governor and Republican leaders in the General Assembly that the voter photo ID provision and other changes that will actually make it harder for some voters to exercise their civic duty will instead “help ensure the integrity of the North Carolina ballot box and provide greater equality in access to voting to North Carolinians.” 2

Don Yelton, a member of the state Republican Party’s executive committee, appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and dispensed with his party leaders’ usual defense of the new law, excitedly telling correspondent Aasif Mandvi that, “The law is going to kick Democrats in the butt.” 3

“If it hurts a bunch of college kids that’s (sic) too lazy to get off their bohunkus and get a photo ID, so be it,” Yelton said. “If it hurts the whites, so be it. If it hurts a bunch of lazy blacks that wants (sic) the government to give them everything, so be it.” 3

“Finally someone in the North Carolina Republican Party had the temerity to tell the truth about their Monster Anti-Voting law,” said state AFL-CIO President James Andrews. “It is time for Governor McCrory, Speaker Tillis, and Senator Berger to come clean with North Carolina working families and admit they don’t want to be held accountable by students, seniors, workers, or people of color for having pursued an immoral agenda that puts profits over people and trades pragmatic progressivism for Tea Party extremism.”

1. Gov. McCrory says Justice Department's voting lawsuit is 'overreach and without merit':
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/30/3242351/gov-mccrory-says-justice-departments.html

2. Governor McCrory Signs Popular Voter ID into Law:
http://www.governor.state.nc.us/newsroom/press-releases/20130812/governor-mccrory-signs-popular-voter-id-law

3. Suppressing the Vote:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-23-2013/suppressing-the-vote

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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of local unions and union councils in North Carolina, representing over one-hundred thousand union members, fighting for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working families. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.

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