North Carolina Election Officials Propose Voter ID Guidelines

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina’s top elections officials proposed new guidelines Friday for implementing the state’s new voter ID requirement, which will go into effect later this year in time for the 2023 municipal elections.

The first of the two rules published on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website would address in-person voting, while the other applies to mail-in, absentee ballots.

Both are now subject to a public comment period which opened Friday and will run through June 23.

“These rules are necessary to ensure uniform implementation of the photo ID requirement by all 100 county boards of elections and in all 3,000-plus polling locations,” the election officials say in a press release announcing the guidelines. 

“They are similar to rules adopted by the State Board and approved by the Rules Review Commission in prior iterations of the photo ID law,” they add.

The rule for photo identification during in-person voting describes how election officials will determine whether the photograph on the ID reasonably resembles the voter and whether the name is the same or “substantially equivalent” to the voter’s name on their registration record.

It also defines the process that will be followed if an election official determines that the photograph or name on the ID does not satisfy the rule, as well as options that must be made available to the voter in this situation.

The proposed rule for scrutinizing absentee by mail ballots provides details on how voters can comply with the requirement that they include an acceptable photo ID with their ballot return envelope, or submit a photo ID exception form.

It also describes the process county boards of elections must follow in reviewing copies of IDs or exception forms returned with absentee ballots.

The Board also proposes to repeal four previous photo ID rules adopted under a different law, which is now obsolete, to avoid any misunderstanding about what rules should be followed by election officials and the public. 

The text of the four rules proposed for temporary repeal can be read here.

Members of the public wishing to comment on the new rules, may do so online, via email to [email protected], or by mail by sending their comments to: Rulemaking Coordinator, PO Box 27255, Raleigh, NC 27611-7255

In addition, a virtual public hearing will be held at 11 a.m. on June 19, 2023. 

Those interested in attending may join the hearing: 

Online: Webex

Access code: 2435 046 5077

Passcode: NCSBE (62723 from phones and video systems)

By Phone: (415) 655-0003

Access code: 2435 046 5077#

Passcode: 62723

Information and links to the two proposed rules are below:

Submitted comments will be compiled and provided to the State Board before its final consideration of the proposed temporary rules, which will likely take place at a public meeting on June 27. The Rules Review Commission would then consider the proposed rules.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue