May 31, 2023, 16:50 PM by Jon Soles

The Cumberland County Board of Elections reminds citizens of the latest guidance about North Carolina Photo ID requirement for voting, from the N.C. State Board of Elections.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Board of Elections reminds citizens of the latest guidance about North Carolina Photo ID requirement for voting, from the N.C. State Board of Elections. The following are 10 facts about North Carolina’s photo ID requirement for voting.

• Voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in North Carolina, starting in the 2023 municipal elections this fall. The Fayetteville City Primary Election is Oct. 10, 2023. The Municipal Election for all municipalities in Cumberland County is Nov. 7, 2023. One-Stop Voting for the Fayetteville City Primary begins Sept. 21. One-Stop Voting for the Municipal Election begins Oct. 19.
• Voters may simply show their N.C. driver’s license, but many other types of photo ID will be accepted. See a list of acceptable ID at ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id.
• Voters without an acceptable form of ID can get a “No Fee ID Card” from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles at no cost. Go to ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/identification/Pages/default.aspx to learn more. Soon, voters will be able to get a free ID from their county board of elections.
• The State Board of Elections is developing a process for approving student and public employee IDs for voting. Lists of these approved IDs will be added to the Voter ID website at ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id.
• When a voter checks in to vote at a polling place, they will be asked to show an acceptable photo ID. Election workers check to see if the picture on the ID reasonably resembles the voter. The address on the photo ID does not have to match the voter registration records.
• All voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID. If a voter does not show an acceptable ID, the voter may vote with an ID Exception Form and a provisional ballot, or with a provisional ballot and return to their county Board of Elections with their photo ID by the day before county canvass. For municipal elections in September and October, this deadline is the Monday following Election Day. For all other elections, the deadline is the second Thursday following Election Day.
• Permitted exceptions to the photo ID requirement include the following: The voter has a reasonable impediment to showing photo ID (lack of transportation, lost or stolen ID, disability or illness, family responsibilities, etc.); the voter has a religious objection to being photographed; or the voter was a victim of a natural disaster within 100 days of Election Day.
• When a registered voter cannot produce a photo ID, the county Board of Elections must count that ballot if the voter properly completes the ID Exception Form or brings an acceptable ID to their county Board of Elections before the county canvass.
• Voters who vote by mail will be asked to include a photocopy of an acceptable ID inside the photo ID envelope that comes with their ballot. If they are unable to include a photocopy of their ID, they may complete an ID Exception Form with the absentee ballot return envelope. Photo ID is not required for military or overseas voters who vote using special absentee voting proceduresthat federal law makes available for such voters.
• For more information, seeVoter ID and FAQ: Voter ID.

The Cumberland County Board of Elections is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Board of Elections is in the E. Newton Smith Center at 227 Fountainhead Lane in Fayetteville. For more information, call 910-678-7733 or visit cumberlandcountync.gov/elections.