WINSTON-SALEM, NC — Despite clear evidence of harm to young voters, a federal judge declined to block North Carolina’s Senate Bill 747 (SB 747), which makes it easier for lawful ballots cast during early voting to be thrown out through no fault of the voter. The decision allows new barriers to participation in elections, particularly for students, to remain in place.
In October 2025, plaintiffs League of Women Voters of North Carolina, Democracy North Carolina, and North Carolina Black Alliance — represented by Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) and pro bono counsel Steptoe LLP and McDermott Will & Schulte LLP — addressed the barriers to voting created by SB 747 in a federal trial.
US District Court Judge Thomas D. Schroeder released a decision finding the law constitutional, stating SB 747 does not violate the Twenty-Sixth, First, or Fourteenth Amendments, and that any burden the law imposes on voters is minimal.
SB 747, passed in October 2023, increased the likelihood that ballots would be disqualified due to mail deliverability issues, creating obstacles for young voters, voters of color, elderly voters, and low-income voters, among others. Plaintiffs promptly filed suit challenging aspects of SB 747 on multiple grounds, including discrimination on the basis of age given the harsh impact the law would have on youth voters and the anti-youth rhetoric surrounding its passage.
Litigation documents revealed a months-long influence campaign by conservative operatives aimed at reshaping North Carolina’s election laws to target young voters, particularly mobile college students, despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
"This ruling is a blow to North Carolina voters and a step backward for our democracy," said Jennifer Rubin, president of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina. "By upholding these restrictive changes to Same Day Registration, this decision will disenfranchise countless eligible voters through a flawed, discriminatory process. The League of Women Voters of North Carolina will continue to help inform our citizens about how to use SDR and all methods of voter registration so that North Carolinians can have their say at the ballot box."
"Today’s decision upholds a law that is a direct attack on the right to vote," said Caren Short, director of legal and research for the League of Women Voters. "North Carolina lawmakers should be encouraging all eligible voters to participate, not making it harder to stay registered. The League is proud to have joined this fight, and we will continue to stand up for voters in the courts, in the statehouses, and in the streets."
"This decision will have devastating consequences for our electoral system for decades to come," said Adrianne Spoto, counsel for Voting Rights at SCSJ. "When young voters casting their first ballots see them rejected for technical snafus, it creates lasting barriers to participation and jeopardizes their lifelong civic engagement."
"Time and again we have seen lawmakers underestimate, underappreciate, and ultimately attack our state’s incredible student voter bloc," said Adrienne Kelly, executive director for Democracy North Carolina. "Today’s deeply disappointing decision is sadly no surprise given these systemic efforts to silence young voices, particularly from communities of color, by any means necessary. It is insulting to spit in the face of our constitution with such a blatantly anti-democratic act. But our resolve to protect young voters is stronger than ever, and we shall continue working alongside our movement partners in this effort. Whatever it takes."
"This decades-long battle over college students' voting power is far from over. Today's ruling deepens our resolve to ensure that the fundamental right to vote is not dissolved through legislative or judicial partisanship," said Marcus Bass, executive director for the North Carolina Black Alliance. "The judge's decision to side with the hyper-partisan legislature was expected, which means we must work earlier and harder to ensure that no one is denied the right to vote because of a technicality in varying mail procedures on college campuses that may prevent a student from verifying their residence. There are other ways for election officials to work with campuses to prevent this from denying students who choose to live on campus their right to vote, and we will continue to support and identify ways to ensure that every voter is registered and every vote cast is protected."
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