North Carolina election board allows virtual student IDs to comply with mandate

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has approved the first virtual form of identification to comply with the voter ID law in the Tar Heel State.

On Tuesday, the Democratic-controlled board voted 3-2, with both Republicans opposing, to allow the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Mobile UNC One Card to be accepted as a valid ID allowing a citizen to vote in the November election .

The state board of elections has approved several other forms of student ID as valid for voting, including student IDs for Wake Forest University, Duke University, and North Carolina State University, but the UNC One Card will be the first mobile ID approved to be used for identification at the polls.

The state board's guidelines for an ID to be approved for use at the polls allow for various types of IDs to submit paperwork to be approved, including student IDs, employee IDs, local government IDs, and traditional forms of ID, such as a driver's license or passport.

The mobile UNC One Card is accessible only on iPhones and requires an official photo ID, such as a passport or driver's license, to get a mobile ID.

The North Carolina Republican Party claimed that the Democratic-controlled board was "playing more games with Election Integrity," in a social media post on Tuesday.

🚨The NC State Board of Elections is playing more games with Election Integrity.

Permitting a "Digital ID" on its face VIOLATES Voter ID requirements, especially when many other options are readily available & funded by State Law.

Rest assured -- we won't stand for it. #NCPOL

"The NC State Board of Elections is playing more games with Election Integrity. Permitting a 'Digital ID' on its face VIOLATES Voter ID requirements, especially when many other options are readily available & funded by State Law. Rest assured -- we won't stand for it," the party posted on X.

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The Republican-led state legislature passed North Carolina's voter ID law in 2018, but it had been blocked pending legal challenges until May 2023. The November election will be the first major election since the law took effect.

The Tar Heel State is considered "lean Republican" by the Cook Political Report and has narrowly voted Republican in recent presidential elections. The last time a Democrat won the presidential race in North Carolina was in 2008.