NC’s majority-Republican Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court ruling that would have permitted UNC students to use their digital One Card as a valid form of voter ID.
The University has taken a strong first step toward ensuring ballot access for students and employees by making physical One Cards available free of charge. The University should now take the additional step of pre-printing One Cards for all dorm residents and scheduling pickup events by dorm. (This is what Duke University is doing to ensure students have a voter ID.)
Student voters may register and vote at the same time during one-stop voting (October 17 – November 2). Dorm residents can register and vote at any polling location in their county during that window by presenting a hard copy of their student ID and confirming that their name appears on the campus residence list on file with their county board of elections. The closest early voting site to UNC Chapel Hill is the Chapel of the Cross on Franklin Street (map link).
The challenge now is to make sure that they get copies of that student ID.
For many first-time voters, however, this process is unfamiliar. The university should take the additional step of pre-printing physical OneCards and scheduling pick up times for these cards at each dorm for all first and second year students—many of whom will be voting for the first time.
Currently, students and staff must go to the OneCard Office, located on the third floor of UNC’s student store (map link), and request a physical copy in person. This store is open from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.
The OneCard office webpage states that in order to receive a hard copy OneCard, students must present a driver’s license, passport, or military ID.