The North Carolina State Board of Elections has settled a lawsuit over voter ID rules and extended deadlines for 2025 municipal election planning, affirming that digital or electronic identification will not be accepted at polling places unless authorized by the state legislature. The decision provides clear guidance for voters while giving counties additional time to finalize early voting plans.
The settlement, reached with the Republican National Committee (RNC), resolves legal challenges filed in September 2024 concerning the use of digital student IDs at UNC-Chapel Hill. Republican groups sued after the Board, then under a 3–2 Democratic majority, approved the use of the university’s mobile One Card as voter identification. A state appellate court later blocked the digital IDs for the 2024 elections.
Physical ID requirements clarified
Under the agreement, only physical forms of identification listed in state law will be accepted at polling places. These include driver’s licenses, non-operator state IDs, U.S. passports, and approved student or employee ID cards that meet statutory standards. The rule applies to all “electronic identification” presented on phones or other devices, which will not be valid unless future legislation explicitly allows their use. As noted in Carolina Journal coverage of the August 8 meeting, “The Board agreed not to accept any ‘electronic identification’ as a voter ID.”
Extended deadlines for local planning
At the same meeting, the Board approved early voting plans for three counties and extended the submission deadline for the remaining 97 counties to August 15, 2025. The extension gives local boards more time to select early voting site locations, set operating hours, and determine weekend availability, while ensuring compliance with statutory requirements.
These changes come as state lawmakers debate broader election reform legislation that could alter registration, absentee ballot procedures, and ballot counting timelines. House Bill 958, currently under consideration, includes provisions that may affect how counties implement their extended planning schedules for next year’s municipal elections.
Election officials are advising voters to confirm they have an acceptable physical form of ID well before election day and to check their county election board websites for updated early voting site information once finalized under the new deadline.
Sources: Carolina Journal, Enlace Latino NC
–
By Ali Nassar-Smith
