State Board Of Elections Public Comment Period On Voter ID Rules

The State Board of Elections invites you to comment on two temporary rules proposed to implement the photo ID requirement for in-person and absentee-by-mail voters in North Carolina, beginning with the 2023 municipal elections.

These rules are necessary to ensure uniform implementation of the photo ID requirement by all 100 county boards of elections and in all 3,000-plus polling locations. The public comment period is open and runs through June 23. 

The first proposed rule describes how election officials must determine whether the photograph on the ID reasonably resembles the voter and whether the name is the same as or substantially equivalent to the voter’s name in their registration record.

The other proposed rule provides details about the requirement for absentee-by-mail voters to provide a copy of an acceptable photo ID with their ballot return envelope.

The Board also proposes to repeal four previous photo ID rules adopted under a different law, which is now obsolete, to avoid any misunderstanding about what rules should be followed by election officials and the public.

You can provide input online via the board's Public Comment Portal, via email, or at a virtual public hearing June 19 via WebEx.

Get more details online at NCSBE.gov.