Voter bill heads to governor

Revised proposal would allow registration at 'one-stop' sites

RALEIGH (Winston-Salem Journal) - State legislators approved a revised version of a bill yesterday that will expand the time period during which people can register to vote.

The new version of the bill, approved by the N.C. House of Representatives and the N.C. Senate, eliminates a provision that would have restricted the use of non-English voting materials.

Voting-rights activists and most Democrats support the bill, saying that it will increase voter turnout.

Some Republicans, however, say that it could open up the state to more voter fraud.

The bill, if signed by Gov. Mike Easley, will allow people to register and then immediately cast a ballot at early, “one-stop” voting sites.