Kenneth Stutts, an attorney with the Rowan County Board of Elections, spoke at a Senior Democrats meeting Tuesday about the upcoming voter ID laws and how they will affect voters moving forward.

The ID laws will be in affect for the upcoming election cycle this year and require voters to have a valid form of identification with them in order to vote using a normal ballot. Stutts’s presentation, titled “Be ID Ready! An Exploration of the New Voter ID Requirements in North Carolina,” explained to those present at the meeting what types of ID will be accepted at their polling place and what to do if they do not have an accepted form of identification.

IDs that can be used if they are unexpired or have been expired for one year or less are a driver’s license, a passport or a state ID. College or university student IDs, charter school employee IDs, or state or local government IDs can also be used if they are approved by the N.C. State Board of Elections.

Stutts stated that as of now he knew that Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Livingstone College and Hood Theological Seminary were trying to have their student IDs approved before election time.

IDs that can be used even if they have been expired longer than a year include a military or veteran ID card, a tribal enrollment card issued by a federally recognized tribe, or an ID card issued by the state or federal government for a public assistance program. For voters over 65, IDs that expired after their 65th birthday will also work.

Stutts also made certain that members of the group were aware that they can still vote even if they arrive at the polling place without an approved ID. If someone shows up without it, they either have to return to elections office before canvassing with their ID or file a provisional ballot.

“If you have any questions about anything, please reach out to us at the Rowan County Board of Elections. The staff is there to help you. They want you to vote,” said Stutts.

Stutts, who clarified that he was not there as a representative of the RCBE, also stated that many specific rules about new voter ID laws are still up in the air pending legislation in Raleigh.