Defending democracy and the right to vote.

The NC State Board of Elections (NCSBE) has approved dozens of applications from colleges, universities, and local governments to recognize their student and employee ID cards as satisfying the state’s new photo identification requirement for voting.

Years of legislative and legal battles over the issue of requiring photo identification for voting in North Carolina came to an end this year, after the newly Republican-controlled NC Supreme Court reversed an earlier ruling that the voter photo ID requirement was racially discriminatory. Part of the argument made by Republican legislative leaders in favor of allowing the law to go into effect was their claim that the types of identification allowed were broad enough to keep the requirement from being unconstitutionally burdensome.

Among the types of allowed ID cards were student IDs, with one key caveat. The ID form used had to be reviewed and approved by the NCSBE on a school-by-school basis. The NCSBE’s approvals last week were a key step in protecting students’ right to vote in our state. The new voter photo ID requirement goes into effect for this year’s municipal elections. The approvals issued last week for institutions’ student and employee IDs will remain in effect through the 2024 elections as well. The full list of approved institutions can be seen here.

These newly approved IDs include all UNC system schools as well as many private schools and local governments across the state. The approved IDs are in addition to the most common form of ID included in the law, a drivers’ license, and IDs issued by the local boards of elections upon voter request. “We are grateful to all institutions that applied to have their identification cards approved for voters for the 2023 municipal elections,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “This gives voters additional options when casting their ballot.”

Voting rights advocates fought against the photo ID requirement as unnecessary and likely to disproportionately disadvantage many poor, older, or minority voters. Since the ID requirement has now been allowed by the courts to take effect, voting rights advocates are working to educate voters on the new requirements and how to deal with any problems they create.

NCLCV is actively involved in protecting voting rights as essential for the protection of our environment in a democracy. Citizens and communities can only protect themselves from unchecked pollution and environmental degradation when elected leaders can be held accountable for their actions through free and fair elections.