One of the most popular days for early voting would be eliminated under a proposal that supporters say is meant to bring uniformity to the 100 North Carolina counties’ one-stop voting schedules.
Rep. David Lewis, a chief architect in the House of elections laws, said the proposal in the legislature would make it easier for elections officials to pivot from running early voting to Election Day preparations, and make it easier for people to know when and where they can vote early.
The proposal would set a 17-day early voting period that ends the Friday before Election Day.
Democracy North Carolina, a nonprofit concerned with election law, said nearly 200,000 people cast ballots on the last Saturday of early voting in 2016, and that the last Saturday is disproportionately used by African-American voters.