NC Newsline–Digital IDs cannot be used to vote in North Carolina until the legislature explicitly allows it, under a settlement between the state Board of Elections and the Republican National Committee.
The RNC and the state GOP sued the state Board last year after it voted along party lines to allow UNC-Chapel Hill students to use their mobile UNC One cards as photo ID.
University student and facility IDs, if the state Board approves them, are among the acceptable forms of photo identification voters can use at the polls. Many campuses have replaced physical cards with multipurpose digital IDs. UNC’s was the first digital university ID the state Board approved.
A trial court last year sided with the state Board, but the state Appeals Court blocked use of the mobile IDs. Students weren’t allowed to use them for the 2024 election.
As part of the agreement dismissing the lawsuit, the state Board agreed to not approve any more digital IDs unless the legislature passes a law allowing them.
Democrats held a 3-2 majority on the elections board last year. Republicans now have a majority.
Two Democrats who voted with the majority last year to allow the mobile IDs are still on the elections board.
On Friday, they defended their 2024 votes.
“I think that the previous Board made the correct decision to allow that ID, but the Court of Appeals order disagrees and we are bound to obey that,” said Board member Siobhan Millen. “I think with the way technology is changing with digital IDs that this will not be the last word on this subject.”
Democrat Jeff Carmon agreed with Millen.”I know this is something we will see again as we move toward digital driver’s licenses and things of that nature,” he said.
The legislature last year passed a law telling the DMV to study and implement a plan for digital driver’s licenses.
