Don't have a photo ID to vote? Here's what Cumberland County residents can do to get one.
Editor's note: This is an updated version of the original story to add clarification to how provisional ballots are counted and who can get a free DMV ID card.
Early voting for Fayetteville’s primary election is a month away, and for the first time since March 2016, voters will have to show an approved form of photo identification to cast their ballots in both the primary and the Nov. 7 general election.
The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled in April that photo ID could be required for voters, ending years of legal battles. Now, the State Board of Elections has released guidelines on what voters can use for identification, and county boards of elections can issue free voter IDs to registered voters.
Here’s everything you need to know about what IDs you can use, how to get them and what happens if you don’t have an acceptable ID.
Approved photo IDs
According to the State Board of Elections website, Cumberland County voters can use the following forms of photo ID to vote:
A North Carolina driver’s license that has not expired more than a year ago.
A non-operator ID from the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.
A driver’s license, if the voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election, a or non-driver ID from another state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory.
A U.S. passport or passport card.
A voter photo ID card issued by a county board of elections.
A military or veteran ID card issued by the U.S. government.
A tribal enrollment card issued by a tribe recognized by a state or federal government.
An ID card issued by a U.S. government agency or the state of North Carolina for a public assistance program.
A student ID for all UNC system schools.
A Fayetteville State University student or employee ID.
A Methodist University student ID.
A North Carolina General Assembly employee ID.
A Robeson Community College student ID.
A University of North Carolina Pembroke student or employee ID.
Voters age 65 and older can use expired identification if the ID was not expired on their 65th birthday, the website states.
The State Board of Elections also approved more than 90 other IDs issued by institutions throughout the state. The full list can be found on the State Board of Elections website.
I don't have any of those types of ID. How can I get one?
Registered voters without any of the approved IDs have two options for obtaining free identification — a non-operator ID from the DMV, or a voter photo ID from the Cumberland County Board of Elections.
To get an ID from the DMV, voters must visit a DMV driver's license office with a document verifying their age and identity, a Social Security card or a document proving they have a Social Security number and a document proving residency for U.S. citizens or a document issued by the U.S. government proving legal presence for non-citizens, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
To get a free ID from the Cumberland County Board of Elections, voters must provide their name, date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number and have their photo taken at the Board of Elections site at 227 Fountainhead Lane, Suite 101, according to the State Board of Elections. The Cumberland County Board of Elections is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached at 910-678-7733 or boardofelections@cumberlandcountync.gov.
What happens if I don't get a photo ID?
According to the State Board of Elections, voters without an acceptable form of ID can fill out a form requesting an exception for showing ID, which could include the following reasons:
Having a “reasonable impediment” to showing ID.
Having a religious objection to being photographed.
Being a victim of a natural disaster within 100 days before the election.
The voter can then fill out a provisional ballot and the vote will be counted absent evidence that the information on the ID exception form was false.
Would-be voters who forget their photo ID at home can also return to vote at another time, unless they have already accepted a ballot, as long as it is before polls close, according to the State Board of Elections.
2023 candidates Who will be on Cumberland County ballots this fall? Here's the full list of candidates
When's the election?
Fayetteville’s primaries for City Council districts 2 and 5 and the mayoral race are Oct. 10, while the general election for all municipal races in Cumberland County is Nov. 7, according to the Cumberland County Board of Elections. Voters can request absentee mail ballots for the primaries between Sept. 11 and Oct. 3, and absentee mail ballots for the municipal election can be requested from Oct. 9 to Oct. 31.
Voters wanting to cast a ballot in the primaries must register to vote by Sept. 15, while the cutoff is Oct. 13 for the municipal election.
Government watchdog reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County voters have several options for photo ID this fall
