State Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell on Tuesday approved 20 additional types of University of North Carolina System student and employee photo IDs for use in the 2020 elections.
Tuesday’s approvals, combined with previously approved IDs, mean students and employees of all UNC System schools may use their university-issued identification cards to vote in 2020. The list of new approvals is available here.
U.N.C. Healthcare, whose employee ID was not approved previously, did not reapply.
Overall, more than 150 types of photo ID are approved for use in 2020. They include driver’s licenses, U.S. Passports, tribal enrollment cards, military and veterans ID cards, and approved employee and student IDs from educational institutions and state and local governments. For additional details on the photo ID requirement, including a list of approved IDs, go to voterID.NCSBE.gov.
Beginning in 2020, voters in North Carolina will be asked to present photo identification to vote, though certain exceptions apply. Voters may use any acceptable form of ID. Voters who do not have an acceptable ID may get a free N.C. Voter ID from their county board of elections.
“Now is a great time for registered voters to make sure they have an ID they can use for voting,” Brinson Bell said. “Registered voters may also get a free ID for voting purposes from their county board of elections office.”
Below are the IDs approved Tuesday:
East Carolina University: Student and Employee
Fayetteville State University: Student (Employee ID approved previously)
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University: Student and Employee
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics: Student (Employee ID approved previously)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Student and Employee
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Student and Employee
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro: Student and Employee
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke: Student and Employee
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts: Student and Employee
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington: Student (Employee ID approved previously)
Western Carolina University: Student and Employee
Winston-Salem State University: Student (Employee ID approved previously)
Meanwhile, all North Carolina households will soon receive mailings with information about the new voter ID requirement. State law requires the State Board of Elections to send four educational mailings about voter ID – two in 2019 and two in 2020.
Background: In the November 2018 general election, 55.5 percent of the state’s voters approved a referendum requiring voters to present a photo ID to vote. Session Law 2018‐144, as amended by Session Law 2019‐22 and Session Law 2019-239, implements the new photo ID law.