New voter ID law immediately challenged in state court

The new North Carolina law detailing how a voter photo identification requirement is carried out has been challenged in court moments after the General Assembly completed the override of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of the measure.

Six voters filed the lawsuit in Wake County court Wednesday afternoon, less than 15 minutes after the state House completed the override in a 72-40 vote. The Senate already voted to override Tuesday.

The photo ID law passed a month after a constitutional referendum mandating it was approved.

Still, the plaintiffs say the law violates the state constitution and retains requirements within a 2013 photo ID law that federal judges struck down. The voters argue the restrictions will harm black and American-Indian residents disproportionately and creates a financial cost to voting.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Voter photo identification will be required again in North Carolina now that the Republican-controlled legislature has overridden a veto by the state's Democratic governor.

The state House completed the override Wednesday, a day after the Senate also voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of a bill implementing a constitutional amendment. The bill now becomes law and would largely take effect when municipal elections occur next fall.

Voters in November approved a referendum requiring photo ID to vote in person. The legislature returned a few weeks later to fill in the details of qualifying identification cards and exceptions to that new mandate.

Federal judges struck down a 2013 state law that included photo ID and other voting restrictions, ruling they were approved with intentional racial discrimination in mind.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)