North Carolina

All voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID. 

There are three exceptions to the requirement that all North Carolina voters must present an acceptable ID to vote in person:

1. Reasonable Impediment: 

If you are unable to get a photo ID due to one of the following reasons you can sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and vote a provisional ballot

• Lack of transportation
• Disability or illness
• You don’t have your birth certificate or other documents required to obtain an ID
• Work schedule
• Family responsibilities
• Lost or stolen photo ID
• You applied for photo ID but have not received it yet
• Other: you may write in another reason and the county board of elections will decide whether to accept it

2. Religious Objection

If you are unable to get a photo ID because you have a religious objection to being photographed, you may sign an affidavit and then vote a provisional ballot.

3. Natural Disaster

If you cannot provide a photo ID because you were the victim of a natural disaster within 100 days before Election Day (as declared by the Governor of North Carolina or the President of the United States), you may sign an affidavit and then vote a provisional ballot.

If you meet one of these reasons, you will be permitted to complete an ID Exception Form and vote a provisional ballot.

All voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID. 

If you do not show an acceptable ID, you may still vote in one of two ways:

1. Vote a provisional ballot and complete an ID Exception Form, or 
2. Vote with a provisional ballot and return to your county board of elections office with your photo ID by the day before the 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.)

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help securing ID.

Yes. Any registered voter will be able to get one of two types of free ID:

1. A free state ID card from the NC DMV
   If you do not have an acceptable photo ID, you can get one for free from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV).
2. Request a voter photo ID card from your County Board of Elections
   To receive a free voter photo ID card, you will need to provide your name, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number. The voter photo ID card can only be used for voting purposes. It will have an expiration date ten years from the day it is issued. It will count as an acceptable form of ID until one year past the expiration date. If you change your name or address, you can request a free replacement voter photo ID card.

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help securing ID.

The name on your photo ID must be the same as or “substantially equivalent” to the name on your voter registration record. 

Acceptable differences between the name on your ID and on your voter registration record include:

• Omission or inclusion of one or more parts of your name (e.g. Mary Beth Smith versus Beth Smith, or Patrick Todd Jackson, Jr. versus Patrick Todd Jackson, or Maria Guzman-Santana versus Maria Guzman)
• Nickname rather than a formal name (e.g. Bill versus William, or Sue versus Susanne)
• An initial in place of one or more parts of a name (e.g. A.B. Sanchez versus Aaron B. Sanchez)
• A former name, including a maiden name (e.g. Emily Jones versus Emily Gibson)
• A variation that includes or omits a hyphen (e.g. Chantell D. Jacobson-Smith versus Chantell D. Jacobson or Chantell D. Jacobson Smith)
• A variation that includes or omits an accent (e.g. José Muñoz versus Jose Munoz)
• A variation that includes or omits an apostrophe (e.g. Andrea D’Antonio versus Andrea Dantonio)
• Different ordering of names (e.g. Maria Eva Garcia Lopez versus Maria E. Lopez-Garcia)
• Variation in spelling (e.g. Dennis McCarthy versus Denis McCarthy, or Aarav Robertson versus Aarav Robertsson)

You may register to vote and cast an in-person absentee ballot, on the same day, only during the early voting period (called “same day registration”) at your county’s designated early voting location. There is no same day registration and voting on Election Day itself. You may also use same day registration to update your name or address.

You must show one of the following acceptable types of photo ID and proof of residence to participate in same day registration. 

You do not need a “REAL ID” to vote in North Carolina.

Your driver’s license or state ID card will show a star if it meets REAL ID requirements under federal law.

• North Carolina REAL ID info

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help securing ID.

No. The state has not passed any law nor provided any guidance as to whether poll workers and other election officials can rely on an image of your ID on your mobile or other electronic device instead of the original version of your ID to vote in person.

Yes. You must provide your date of birth and one of the following to verify your identity:

• North Carolina driver license number
• North Carolina state ID card number
  
• Last four digits of your Social Security number.

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Yes. You will be required to provide a photocopy of one of the acceptable forms of photo ID inside the “photo ID envelope”.

If you do not have an acceptable photo ID due to religious objection, natural disaster or reasonable impediment (see above regarding exceptions to NC’s voter ID law), you will be permitted to sign an ID Exception Form instead.

If you do have an acceptable photo ID but are not able to attach a copy of it, you will also be permitted to sign an ID Exception Form.

You can track the status of your absentee ballot and whether it has been received and accepted online.

If there are any problems with your absentee ballot envelope, the county board of elections must inform you and provide you with a cure certification to sign or a new ballot.

Your cure certification must be received by the county board of elections by 5 p.m. the day before the county canvass. The cure certification may be submitted to the county board office by fax, email, in person, or by mail or commercial carrier. If you go in person to the county board office, you can also receive and complete a cure certification.