In an extraordinary decision, a North Carolina court—this time, the Court of Appeals—continued its consistent opposition to voting rights by rejecting the NC State Board of Election’s decision to allow UNC Mobile One Cards to be used as Voter ID.
In an order issued just after 5 pm today, September 27, the court held that the Mobile ID is nothing more than a “photo of an ID” and rejected its use as voter identification in the upcoming election. That is, of course, wildly inaccurate and demonstrates amazing misunderstanding of modern technology, but unfortunately it’s the law now.
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This is important: If you are a UNC Chapel Hill student, faculty member, or staff member and want to vote, you need to show valid voter ID. One option is a plastic One Card which will be accepted—you can get one at the OneCard office.
Another option is a NC driver’s license or state ID card. An out-of-state license will not work if you registered more than 90 days before the election. Learn more about valid IDs here.
Local journalist Kirk Ross said it best: “Dropping a ruling during an epic natural disaster is a special kind of spite.”
We are going to print flyers and distribute them at UNC Chapel Hill to let students know about these changes and what voter ID they can use. Please donate if you can – this news dropped on a Friday during a natural disaster and we know it needs to be widely spread.
Previous coverage:
REVERSED: State Elections Board decision overturned, UNC Digital OneCard not valid as voting ID
Alert: State Board of Elections to decide Tuesday on UNC student voter IDs