North Carolina asked the U.S. Supreme Court Aug. 15 to reinstate its voter identification law, which was struck down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit last month (North Carolina v. N.C. State Conf. of the NAACP, U.S., No. 16A168, stay requested8/15/16).“Mere months before a general presidential election, the Fourth Circuit has invalidated several provisions of North Carolina election law,” creating the potential for voter confusion, North Carolina said in its Supreme Court petition.But the Tar Heel State is just one of a handful of states embroiled in litigation over the rules that will govern the rapidly approaching November election.And while the “conventional wisdom” is that these decisions striking down voting restrictions are a win for Democrats, they may end up helping Republican nominee Donald Trump, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law election law professor Daniel P. Tokaji, Columbus, Ohio, told Bloomberg BNA Aug. 16.
“This is a weird election,” he said….
In particular, he noted that Trump’s success in the upcoming election might well depend on how well he can turn out less affluent, Caucasian voters.If courts strike down these restrictions, it could provide a boon to these voters, Tokaji said.But he said the effect likely wouldn’t be overwhelming, affecting only those voters on the margins.