State Board office approves IDs for voting purposes, supports legislative changes to allow more IDs to qualify | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH, N.C.     The State Board of Elections on Friday released a list of tribal, student and employee identification cards that are approved to meet photo ID requirements for voting beginning with the 2020 elections.

    Session Law 2019-4, which became law this week, delays the implementation of photo identification requirements for voting until 2020.

    The State Board received 104 applications to use tribal enrollment cards or student and/or employee IDs from 81 institutions, including tribes, colleges and universities, charter schools and state and local governments. The vast majority of applications were approved.

    Agency staff determined that 13 institutions did not comply with the statutory requirements under Session Law 2018-114.

    State Board staff worked with applicants through late Friday afternoon to ensure eligible IDs would be approved. Moving forward, Board staff is prepared to assist state legislators, educational institutions and state and local government agencies in seeking a remedy to allow additional IDs to be used for voting purposes in 2020. Kim Westbrook Strach, State Board executive director, has transmitted a letter to legislative committee leadership conveying reasons for disapprovals and suggesting areas for potential changes.

    "It is my desire that every student and employee of eligible institutions will be able to use their student or employee ID to vote," Strach said. "However, the State Board of Elections is bound by the language of state law, which does not allow discretion to approve applications from institutions that do not attest to the statutorily required criteria."

    Session Law 2018-144 plainly states that the State Board may approve a student ID card for voting purposes if an official at each institution certifies "under penalty of perjury" that eight criteria are met. When one of those criteria are not met, the State Board may not approve an ID for use.

    State law allows voters to present many types of IDs, including free voter photo ID cards that will be available at all county boards of elections offices beginning May 1, 2019.

    Session Law 2018-144 allows the following types of ID to be used for voting:

• A N.C. driver's license
• A U.S. passport
• A special non-operator's ID card or other form of non-temporary identification issued by the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles or the N.C. Department of Transportation
• A North Carolina voter photo ID card
• A tribal enrollment card issued by a recognized state or federal tribe
• A driver's license or special ID card for non-operators issued by another state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory or commonwealth, but only if the voter's voter registration was within 90 days of the election
• A military ID card issued by the U.S. government
• A Veterans Identification Card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for use at Veterans Administration medical facilities

    "The State Board encourages all North Carolina registered voters and future voters to plan ahead for 2020 and make sure you have an acceptable form of ID," Strach said. "In the coming months, our agency plans significant voter ID education efforts, including mailings to all households and seminars in all 100 counties."