After the 2018 Midterm elections, the North Carolina Voter ID Amendment passed, requiring all voters to show a photo identification before voting. A draft voter ID bill that was released last Tuesday by Republican legislators would allow public university students in North Carolina to use their student IDs to vote, according to the News & Observer.
During a committee meeting Monday, members of the public voiced their concerns that only public university student IDs would be accepted — private and community college IDs are not included as acceptable means of ID in the draft voter ID bill, according to the News & Observer.
The voter ID amendment made its way onto the ballot by the North Carolina House of Representatives, passing 74 to 43 in favor.
The General Assembly passed a similar law in 2013. The statute required NC residents to present an ID to vote, starting in 2016. It was invalidated in 2016 by a panel of judges, however, who believed the bill made it more difficult for African-Americans to vote, according to The News & Observer.
While the amendment did pass, officials have not yet concluded what type of ID they will deem valid for voter identification. The previous 2013 statute only accepted driver licenses, state-issued ID cards, military ID’s and U.S. passports as a form of identification.
Steven Greene, professor of political science at NC State, shared his thoughts on the impact this amendment could have on residents of North Carolina.
“For certain residents, it will make it harder for them to vote, especially those residents who are college students and those who do not already have an ID,” Greene said. “They are going to have to get one. We do not want to make it a burden, especially a financial burden to vote.”
According to Greene, this amendment affects more than the individual voter, it affects the NC DMV as well.
“I am worried about the burdens it might place on the DMVs,” Greene said. “They already have a problem with lines because of a law passed that in order to fly on an airplane, sometime next year, you are going to need a REAL ID. The truth is, if you have to go to a DMV and it is a three or four-hour wait, then it is a real cost to getting an ID.”
Starting in October 2020, a REAL ID or passport will be required to board any domestic flight in the U.S. A REAL ID is a new form of driver’s license that ensures that the person on the ID is correctly identified. According to Greene, because of this new license, the DMV has already seen an increase in those updating their license earlier than when they expire.
Andrew Harmody, a third-year studying biomedical engineering, believes that requiring an ID to vote will cut down on voter fraud.
“I generally think it is a good thing,” Harmody said. “Because it insures that every vote that is cast, is cast by an actual person and can help cut down on voter fraud in a lot of ways.”
Luke Humphrey, a fourth-year studying polymer and color chemistry, explains that showing an ID is problematic to certain voters.
“I’m not for it,” Humphrey said. “Because I think that lower class people, who might not have access to certain IDs would be disqualified from voting.”
There is no set timeline for when the draft voter ID bill might be introduced in the General Assembly.
