NC House passes constitutional amendment to repeal Jim Crow-era literacy test for voting

The North Carolina House on Thursday passed a constitutional amendment that, if ratified, would remove the Jim-Crow era literacy test for voting from the state constitution.

“I think that everybody in this body believes that the reasons why this was implemented back in the past is not representative of the state of North Carolina now that we all know and love,” Rep. Terry Brown, a Mecklenburg Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, said.

The requirement has been inoperable since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, but has remained in the constitution as a relic of the state’s racist history.

Lawmakers in the House passed the amendment unanimously.

Voters must approve constitutional amendments at the ballot box before they’re enacted. Before that can happen, a supermajority of the Senate will have to approve the House’s proposal.

Legislative leaders are considering a variety of other constitutional amendments, including some that would weaken the governor’s appointment power, cement existing voter rules and lower the state’s maximum income tax.