NC House Panel Moves Voter Photo ID Bill

A bill that would require North Carolina residents to produce a photo ID every time they vote has been passed by a state House committee.

The 23-11 vote, tipped by Republicans in a party line push, came after a raucous debate that raised the issues of race, voter suppression, and vote theft, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The bill will be weighed by the full House next week before heading to the Senate.

Republicans say the measure will lessen voter fraud.

“I want to live in a society and a nation and a state that respects the dignity and the importance of voting ,” Republican Rep. Bert Jones told the Observer.

But Democratic Rep. Mickey Michaux said the measure violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution by creating two classes of voters and “putting road blocks in the way of people’’ to vote.