North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has signed the state’s “omnibus” voter ID bill, as he’s been saying he would. The signature isn’t a surprise. What’s surprising is his decision to explain the new law with a 90-second video, describing the “commonsense reforms” and how “the left” lied about them.
The careful viewer will notice a few things missing from this video. The governor says that the bill “includes” voter ID—which it does! That’s a bit like saying a bottle that’s half Advil and half castor oil softgels “includes Advil.” As Jim Morrill points out, McCrory doesn’t mention the “stand by your ad” provision that requires ad-buyers to disclose themselves (“I approve this message,” and so forth), kills public financing of judicial elections, and ends early voting on Sundays, which since inception have been disproportionately used by black Democrats. It would have been interesting for McCrory to tell how any of that prevents voter fraud, or counts on some kind of “commonsense” mandate. He hasn’t. It’s a little surreal for those of us old enough to remember when the Pelosi Democrats were accused of legislative tyranny for passing health care bills in reconciliation.
