Many NC universities seek approval for students to use college IDs when voting

Students at University of North Carolina system schools as well as those at dozens of other college and universities across the state will find out this month if their student IDs will be valid for voting in the 2023 and 2024 elections.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections will decide by the end of July which photo IDs are allowed. Driver's licenses and other forms of identification are allowed. Additionally, student identification cards from public and private universities as well as employee identification cards from state and local government entities and charter schools are valid forms, but only if approved by the board.

The board will release a list of approved forms of ID later this month, board spokesman Patrick Gannon told WRAL. Approvals will be valid through Dec. 31, 2024.

Applications were due June 28, and about 80 entities submitted requests for approval for their students, employees or both. That figure includes every school in the University of North Carolina system, 22 private universities, 15 community colleges and eight charter schools.

To qualify, the student identification card must have contain a picture of the student's face, an expiration date and be issued after enrollment and confirm the student's identity using social security number, citizenship status and birth date.

North Carolina added a photo ID requirement to the state constitution in 2018, but it has been held up by various legal cases. The Republican-majority state Supreme Court in April ruled the voter ID law is constitutional, overturning a 2022 decision by the Democratic-majority court.

Photo IDs are available free from the state.

Here are the schools that submitted student applications:

Public universities: University of North Carolina Asheville, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Fayetteville State University, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, UNC School of the Arts, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina Central University.

Private universities: Wingate University, Johnson & Wales University Charlotte, Mars Hill University, Mid-Atlantic Christian University, Elon University, Meredith College, Pfeiffer University, Warren Wilson College, Johnson C. Smith University, Duke University, Davidson College, Shaw University, Wake Forest University, Lees-McRae College, Methodist University, High Point University, St. Augustine's College, Bennett College, St. Andrews University, Queens University of Charlotte, Livingstone College, Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Public school system: North Carolina School for the Deaf

Community colleges: Cape Fear Community College, Haywood Community College, Wayne Community College, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Halifax Community College, Durham Technical Community College, Edgecombe Community College, Cleveland Community College, Isothermal Community College, McDowell Technical Community College, Robeson Community College, College of the Albemarle, Roanoke-Chowan Community College.