Last Call for Applications for Approval of Student and Employee IDs for Voting

The State Board of Elections on April 1 will open another application period for eligible educational institutions and government agencies to apply to have their student and employee photo IDs approved for voting purposes in the 2024 general election.

Raleigh, NC

Mar 28, 2024

The State Board of Elections on April 1 will open another application period for eligible educational institutions and government agencies to apply to have their student and employee photo IDs approved for voting purposes in the 2024 general election.

This is expected to be the final opportunity to apply before the Nov. 5 election, the first general election with the new photo ID requirement. (See photo ID background information below.)

The State Board will accept new applications from April 1 through June 14, 2024. Entities whose IDs have already been approved for 2024 elections do not need to reapply. For a list of all IDs that are acceptable for voting purposes in the 2024 elections, including the entities whose student or employee IDs have already been approved, see Acceptable Forms of Photo ID: 2024 Primary Elections (PDF) or go to BringItNC.com.

Under state law, public and private colleges and universities may apply to the State Board to have their student IDs approved for voting purposes. State and local government entities, including public colleges, universities, and charter schools, may apply to the State Board to have their employee IDs approved for voting purposes.

"Many educational institutions and government agencies across North Carolina have not yet applied to have their IDs approved," said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. "This is the last opportunity to do so in 2024. The State Board is ready to assist these institutions and governmental entities as they work through the approval process."

How to Apply

To request approval for use in the 2024 general election, an institution must provide a signed Student or Employee Identification Approval Request Form and a digital image of the ID card to the State Board on or before June 14, 2024. Public colleges and universities that wish to seek approval of their student and employee ID cards must submit separate approval forms for each type of ID. See request forms and instructions at the links below:

• April 2024 Student ID Approval Request Form (fillable PDF)
• April 2024 Student ID Instructions (PDF)
• April 2024 Employee ID Approval Request Form (fillable PDF)
• April 2024 Employee ID Instructions (PDF)

The State Board of Elections will review submissions to ensure they comply with criteria in state law and will publish a list of newly approved ID cards after the application period closes.

Cards approved in this round will be valid for use as a voter's photo ID through Dec. 31, 2024.

For government agencies and educational institutions that had ID cards previously approved on March 15, 2019, please see the ID Card Approval Flow Chart (PDF) to determine next steps, if any.

Educational institutions and government agencies with questions about the process should email [email protected] or call (919) 814-0700.

Voter Photo ID Background

In-person voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in North Carolina. Absentee voters will be asked to include a photocopy of an acceptable ID when returning their ballot.

Most voters will simply show their driver's license. But there are many other acceptable photo IDs. Student identification cards issued by North Carolina public or private universities and colleges, as well as employee identification cards issued by state and local government entities and charter schools, are valid forms of photo ID for voting when approved by the State Board.

Voters who do not have an ID when voting may cast a provisional ballot and either (1) fill out a form explaining why they are unable to show ID, or (2) show their ID at their county board of elections office by 5 p.m. on the second Thursday after the election (Nov. 14 for the 2024 general election).

If a registered voter does not have an acceptable photo ID, they can get one for free from their county board of elections. Learn more at Get a Free Voter Photo ID. Voters can also get a free ID card from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV). Find more information under "No-Fee ID Cards" at State IDs | NCDMV.

For more information on the photo ID requirement, including the current list of acceptable IDs, see BringItNC.com.

Related Topics:

• Laws/litigation
• Required by law
• Voter ID information

Patrick Gannon

[email protected]