Guidance issued by North Carolina’s Democrat-run election board permitting a state university’s students and employees to use “digital” ID to vote violates state law, a legal challenge filed Thursday alleges.
Brought by the Republican National Committee and North Carolina GOP, the lawsuit contends that a rule approved by the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) “allowing precinct workers to rely upon the University of North Carolina [UNC] Chapel Hill’s digital student and employee identification” to present as a valid form of photo ID when voting in elections. Individual board members and NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell are listed as defendants in the case.
According to plaintiffs, the board “voted to change their established position and accept electronic student and employee identification documents from UNC as saved on a computer system and produced to a precinct official on a computer device.” The guidance was approved by the NCSBE’s Democrat majority in a 3-2 vote during the board’s Aug. 20 online meeting.
In North Carolina, eligible electors are required by law to produce an acceptable form of photo ID when voting in person, such as a state driver’s license, passport, or an identification card issued by a “state or local government entity.” Other examples listed in the statute are a North Carolina voter photo ID card, military ID, and student identification cards “issued by a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina, a community college … or eligible private postsecondary institution … provided that card is issued in accordance”
