NC now requires ID to vote. What you’ll need to cast your ballot (+ how laws have changed)
This election season, voters will be required to present photo identification at the polls following a landmark decision last year from the state Supreme Court.
Voters already had to show ID in the March primary election.
We’ve compiled responses to some potential questions on the requirement here.
Will I be required to show an ID to vote?
All voters will be asked to show an ID before voting.
If you do not have an ID, you may fill out an ID exception form and then vote with a provisional ballot.
You can also vote with a provisional ballot and return to the county board of elections office no later than the day before county canvass — a post-election process of approving election results — with a valid ID.
The canvass period generally takes place in the 10 days immediately following an election.
What is an ID exception form?
When a voter is unable to provide ID at the ballot, they will be given an ID exception form.
A voter using the form “would sign their name and attest that they are the registered voter they identified themselves to be when they checked in, and that they qualify for one of the three exceptions to providing ID,” Pat Gannon, a spokesperson for the State Board of Elections, said.
The three acceptable exceptions are as follows:
1. The voter has a reasonable impediment to presenting photo ID. This category is wide-ranging and includes lost or stolen IDs, lack of transportation, disability or illness, conflicting work schedules or family responsibilities, lack of documentation such as birth certificates needed to get an ID, or not yet receiving an ID after applying for one.
2. The voter has a religious objection to being photographed.
3. The voter suffered a federal or state-declared natural disaster within 100 days of the election. This includes voters in the 25 western counties impacted by Hurricane Helene earlier this fall.
Bipartisan county boards of elections are required to count ballots with completed ID exception forms “unless the county board has grounds to believe the affidavit is false,” according to state law.
What is a provisional ballot?
Voters receive a provisional ballot when there is uncertainty regarding a voter’s eligibility to participate in an election — such as when a voter is unable to provide a photo ID.
Provisional ballots are held aside while county boards determine if a voter is eligible to vote. All eligible provisional ballots must be counted before election results can be finalized.
The state board of elections says a provisional ballot, accompanied with an ID exception form, may only be rejected if “the bipartisan county board of elections has grounds to believe that the voter provided false information on the form.”
What counts as a valid photo ID?
According to the State Board of Elections, the following IDs will be accepted for voting if they are unexpired, or expired for one year or less:
- North Carolina driver’s license
- State ID from the NCDMV (also called “non-operator ID”)
- Driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, District of Columbia, or U.S. territory (only if the voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election)
- U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport card
- North Carolina voter photo ID card issued by a county board of elections
- College or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections
- State or local government or charter school employee ID approved by the State Board of Elections
A voter 65 or older may use an expired form of acceptable ID if the ID was unexpired on their 65th birthday.
Any of the following, regardless of whether the ID contains an expiration or issuance date, will be accepted:
- Military or veterans ID card (with photo) issued by the U.S. government
- Tribal enrollment card (with photo) issued by a tribe recognized by the State of North Carolina or the federal government
- ID card (with photo) issued by an agency of the U.S. government or the State of North Carolina for a public assistance program (Although this is an acceptable form of ID under North Carolina law, the State Board is not aware of any such ID in circulation that contains a photo. All IDs for voting are required to have a photo.)
How do I get an ID?
All county boards of elections can provide free voter photo IDs to any registered voter. Those interested must provide their name, birthday and the last four digits of their Social Security number, and have their photo taken.
All North Carolina residents are also eligible to receive free non-driver ID cards from the DMV.
The state board has also approved a variety of student and public employee IDs that can be used to vote. A full list of the approved IDs can be found at ncsbe.gov/voting.
What if I vote by mail?
If voting by mail, voters will have to include a photocopy of their ID inside a “photo ID envelope” that comes with the ballot. Absentee voters can also fill out and mail in an ID exception form, if necessary.
