Part I: My Voting Experience in North Carolina
Voting is defined as a formal expression of opinion or will in response to a proposed decision; an indication of approval or disapproval of a proposal, motion, or candidate for office. (Vote- Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary) To be able to vote in the United States, the requirements are different in each of the 50 states. Being a resident of North Carolina, you have to be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years of age, citizenship rights have been restored if you were a convicted felon and has to have lived in the county where you reside for at least 30 days before the election to be able to vote. My first time voting experience was in the November 2012 election, I was a freshman student at North Carolina Central University. On the day of voting, I, along with most of the student body and residents of Durham County, stood in line at the student union/center on campus. When I was next in line I was asked my name and my address, then volunteer worker looked my information and handed me a ballot and sent me in the next room to feel it out, then my ballot was scanned. After I voted, it gave me a sense of pride knowing that my voice and vote mattered in the election. It felt great to know that there was someone who was willing to fight for what I believed in and wanted to accomplish something historic.
Part II: The Photo ID Voter Law before the General Assembly of North Carolina
In the beginning of this year, the North Carolina General Assembly introduced several bills targeting the right to vote. The bill will introduce strict voter photo identification at the polls, eliminate same-day registration, cut voting early hours and eliminate automatic restoration of rights for returning citizens. In late April, the North Carolina House passed the strict voter ID bill that requires state issued identification at the poll, which allows student IDs from state institutions but not from...