Special to IFN

RALEIGH — The N.C. State Board of Elections has approved nearly 100 student and employee identification cards for use in the 2025 municipal elections and the 2026 primary and general elections in North Carolina.

These newly approved IDs include student IDs for all UNC System schools, as well as many other colleges and universities. They also include employee IDs for many educational institutions, as well as some county and local governments and charter schools. All approved IDs include a photograph, which can be used to confirm a person’s identity when they check in to vote.

The list of approved IDs is available on the State Board’s website at Student and Public Employee IDs Approved for Voting. They will remain valid for use as a voter’s photo ID through December 31, 2026. The State Board may consider additional application periods for the 2026 elections.

All previous ID approvals expired on December 31, 2024.

Beginning February 1 and ending April 1, the State Board sought applications from eligible educational institutions and government employers that wished to have their IDs approved for voting purposes.

State Board of Elections staff reviewed the submissions to ensure they complied with criteria in state law. The recommendations for approved IDs were provided to the five State Board members for review. No State Board member objected to the staff recommendations.

“We are grateful to the educational institutions and government agencies that applied to have their IDs approved,” said Karen Brinson Bell, State Board executive director. “This gives voters additional ID options when casting their ballots.”

This year in North Carolina, municipal elections will be held in September, October, and November. In 2026, the primary is in March and general election is in November.

Voter Photo ID Background

In-person voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting.

Most voters will simply show their driver’s license. But there are many other acceptable photo IDs. If an in-person voter does not provide an acceptable ID, the voter may fill out a Photo ID Exception Form and vote a provisional ballot, or vote a provisional ballot and bring an acceptable ID to the county board of elections office by 12 noon on the third day after the election.

Absentee-by-mail voters will be asked to include a photocopy of an ID with their ballot, or complete a Photo ID Exception Form for Absentee Voting and return it with their ballot. The photocopy will be mailed in an envelope that protects the voter’s personal information on their ID.

If a registered voter does not have an acceptable photo ID, they can get one for free from their county board of elections. Learn more at Get a Free Voter Photo ID. Voters can also get a free ID card from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV). Find more information under “No-Fee ID Cards” at State IDs | NCDMV.

LEARN MORE

For more information on the photo ID requirement, including the current list of acceptable IDs, see BringItNC.gov.