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The U.S. Supreme Court refused Wednesday to reinstate North Carolina's voter identification requirement.
The high court's decision means voters won't have to show one of several qualifying photo IDs when casting ballots. Also, beginning on Oct. 20, early voting will revert to the original 17-day time period rather than a shorter time directed by the state.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit struck down parts of the law last month, arguing they were approved by Republican legislators with intentional bias against black voters.
The challenged provisions "target African Americans with almost surgical precision," said the 4th Circuit ruling.
Evidence presented during the Supreme Court trial says black residents who traditionally vote overwhelmingly Democratic in North Carolina, disproportionately lack photo IDs required by the state's mandate.
However, many Republican state officials disagreed with the ruling and wanted to draft an appeal for the Supreme Court to consider.
Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and other Republican legislative leaders believe voter ID is a commonsense requirement to increase the integrity of elections, arguing that black voter turnout increased in 2014.