North Carolina Approves More College Student IDs for Voting

Evan Castillo
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Published on August 16, 2024
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North Carolina added nine new colleges’ student IDs, including Duke University, to its growing list of approved voter IDs.
Poll workers assist a voter on Super Tuesday at the First Ward Creative Academy on March 5, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina.Credit: Image Credit: Grant Baldwin / Stringer / Getty Images News

  • North Carolina is one of 37 states that require voter IDs and one of 20 that allow some form of a college student ID to vote.
  • The state’s Board of Elections approved nine new college student IDs from private universities and community colleges.
  • The Board of Elections added the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s mobile student ID as a valid voter ID on Aug. 20.

More North Carolina college students will be able to use their student IDs to vote in the 2024 presidential election.

On Aug. 13, the North Carolina Board of Elections approved nine new college student IDs, including several private universities, for use in the 2024 general election. This is on top of the more than 120 student and employee IDs that had already been approved.

Newly approved college IDs include those from:

  • Brevard College
  • Campbell University: Student Voter ID Card
  • Catawba College: Catawba One Card
  • Chowan University: HawksCard
  • Davidson-Davie Community College: Student Voter ID Card
  • Duke University: Duke Card
  • Mayland Community College
  • Southwestern Community College
  • Western Piedmont Community College

North Carolina is one of 37 states that require personal identification to vote in an election and one of 20 states that accept some form of a college student ID. Last year, the North Carolina Board of Elections approved 99 student and public employee IDs for the 2023 municipal and 2024 primary and general elections.

The press release said that the Board of Elections is also considering mobile student IDs. It met on Aug. 20 where it approved the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Mobile UNC One Card as a valid ID. Other states, such as Alabama and Arkansas, already allow college students to use digital student IDs as long as they are officially issued by the university.

All North Carolina-approved IDs have a photo and must not be expired. If a student doesn’t have a valid ID, they can go to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles to get one for free.