Johnston residents endorse voter ID

Johnston residents support North Carolina’s new voter ID requirement, saying it’s a positive step toward securing the electoral process.

“I just think it’s a great idea, and I think that we probably should have done it a long time ago,” said Susan Godwin, 74, of Selma.

Godwin was among the handful of Johnstonians who came to a recent voter ID event at the Kenly Public Library. (North Carolina will accept many forms of photo ID for voting, including driver’s licenses. But not everyone has another form of photo ID, so the state is offering them at no charge. The Johnston County Board of Elections will hold its final ID event this Thursday at the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield.)

Showing a photo ID to vote just makes sense to Godwin. “My church had a food pantry on Thursdays, and because we gave out food that was provided by the federal government, people had to have an ID,” she said. “So if the government requires a person to have an ID to get food, why shouldn’t they just have an ID to do everything they need to do?”

Godwin doesn’t drive, and years ago, her late husband had carried her to get a state-issued photo ID. “We went to the driver’s motor vehicle place in Smithfield to get it done years ago when it first came out, and there was one document that we did not have,” she recalled. “But I think this is a wonderful idea.”

Godwin liked that the Board of Elections was holding voter ID events around the county. “A lot of people that don’t have ID live in the different towns,” she said. “It makes it so much easier for them.”

John Herring, 58, of Benson attended an ID event in his hometown. “I think it’s a good thing, and they should have been doing it years ago,” he said of requiring a photo ID to vote. “That way you’ll know who’s voting and that they are the right person.”

However, Herring acknowledged that the ID requirement might present an obstacle for some. “It might hinder some elderly people like me because my ID (expired) in 2019, and I ain’t had any work because I’m disabled,” he said.

When Herring saw the ID event on Facebook, he knew he needed to go. “I had nowhere to go to get an ID,” he said. “So when I saw this, I said, ‘I get to go vote this year.’ It’s a barrier trying to get to the DMV. I have a friend who put in for their ID, and they still haven’t gotten it.”

Another voter, Jabin O’Neal, 18, of Kenly attended the event at the Kenly library just in case his new driver’s license doesn’t arrive in the mail before election day. “I’d say this is pretty neat and convenient,” he said. “It is easier to get an ID here so I can vote.”

Tammy Davis, 56, of Benson thinks that having to show a photo ID to vote is a no-brainer. “I think it’s probably one of the best ideas that anybody’s had,” she said. “It keeps people from trying to go vote twice and doing illegal voting.”

Davis said the Benson ID event saved her time and money. “I’m on disability, and I can’t afford to go far out,” she said. “And I’m raising my granddaughter, so it helps to have something here.”

After Thursday’s event, the Johnston County Board of Elections will issue IDs at its office on South Second Street in Smithfield. To receive an ID, registered voters will need to provide their name, date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number. For more information, call the Board of Elections at 919-989-5095 or email elections@johnstonnc.com .

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