On Tuesday, a strict new voter ID law went into effect in North Carolina, one of 21 states where Republican legislatures have enacted such laws since the 2010 election. North Carolina will also be one of 15 states were the laws will be tested for the first time in a presidential election, and millions of voters — mostly students, minorities, and low-income voters — will likely be left out in the cold this November, Seth Meyers said on Thursday's Late Night. That's a big deal, he added. "In 2008, Barack Obama won North Carolina by just over 14,000 votes; 218,000 votes could literally be the difference between President Hillary Clinton and Glorious Beloved Leader Donald Trump — all praise to him and his magnificent hands."
Even Republican backers of these laws admit voter fraud isn't a big issue, Meyers said. "The overreaction to this total non-problem has been so insane that one 86-year-old, who's been voting since the Eisenhower era, could not obtain proper ID despite presenting her expired New Hampshire driver's license, two different birth certificates, a Social Security card, a Medicare card, and her apartment lease because the name on her birth certificate, Reba Witner Miller, did not perfectly match the name on her current documents, Reba M. Bowser, following her marriage in 1950." Watch below to hear Meyers argue against voter ID laws and bungle an otherwise pretty good Ikea joke. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopicsSpeed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
-
Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus: female artists dominate 2024 GrammysSpeed Read SZA, Phoebe Bridgers and Lainey Wilson were also among the winners at LA gala
