A humanist group is claiming that the state of North Carolina violated the first amendment by allowing voting in churches that advocated anti-gay political stances.

The Appignani Humanist Legal Center says it has "serious legal concerns" with the use of churches as polling places. It says the state violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause that outlines the separation between church and state. The group stops short of threating legal action, but a spokesman says he hopes for a change in state policy.

A spokesman for the State Board of Elections says it would be up to legislators to make any changes to polling locations, but that the use of churches is completely legal. Previous appellate court rulings have backed using places of worship as polling places.