The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled on Friday (September 27) that students and staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) are prohibited from using the school’s digital identification card, the “UNC One Card,” to retrieve ballots when voting. Instead, they must adhere to the legal requirement of presenting physical identification.
This latest decision by the three judges on the Appeals Court overturned the resolution passed by the North Carolina State Board of Elections last month.
The judges unanimously ordered the State Board of Elections not to accept the university’s student identification cards as valid forms of identification during the November elections. They referenced a memorandum from the Board that prohibited voters from using copies, such as photocopies or photographs, of physical identification as acceptable documents.
Initially, the State Board of Elections believed that the student identification cards from UNC Chapel Hill met the security and photo requirements outlined in the law, thus allowing students to use digital IDs to collect ballots. However, this decision quickly faced opposition from the National Republican Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party, who filed a lawsuit in September of this year, emphasizing that the law only permits the use of government-approved physical IDs to retrieve ballots.
The lawsuit was initially dismissed by Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory. The Republicans subsequently filed an appeal, which led to the reversal of the case on Friday.
In court documents submitted by the National Republican Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party, it was argued that current laws mandate the use of physical identification for voting. Allowing the use of digital IDs could potentially alter existing election rules and pose a risk of ineligible voters casting ballots through electronic IDs.
Matt Mercer, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Republican Party, stated that this ruling safeguards the fairness and legitimacy of the American election process, ensuring that all electoral activities comply with local legal requirements.
However, the Democratic National Committee and student groups from the University of North Carolina who participated in the case believe that the State Board of Elections’ decision was correct, asserting that using digital IDs while voting aligns with North Carolina state laws.
Currently, the digital UNC One Card serves as the default identification at the university, with students and permanent staff able to obtain physical IDs for a nominal fee. The university recently announced plans to produce physical IDs free of charge for those seeking them for voting purposes.
In April last year, the North Carolina Supreme Court announced the ruling of “S.B. 824,” reinstating the voter ID law, which allows voters to present the following forms of identification while voting:
– Valid North Carolina driver’s license
– North Carolina non-operator ID
– United States passport
– North Carolina voter ID
– Student ID issued by an accredited institution
– Government employee ID from a state or local agency
– Out-of-state driver’s license or non-operator ID
– U.S. government-issued military or veteran ID
– Tribally-issued tribal enrollment card recognized by the state or federal government
– ID issued by a U.S. government agency or North Carolina for public assistance programs.