RALEIGH — The State Board of Elections has approved 12 additional student and government employee identification cards, including the Catawba College One Card, to be used for voting purposes in North Carolina for the 2024 general election.

Under state law, public and private colleges and universities may apply to the state board to have their student IDs approved for voting. State and local government entities — including public colleges, universities and charter schools — may apply to the State Board to have their employee IDs approved for voting purposes.

This ID application period, the final one before the 2024 general election, was held from April 1 through June 14. State board staff reviewed the submissions to ensure they complied with criteria in state law. See Approval of student identification cards for voting identification (N.C.G.S. § 163-166.17) and/or Approval of employee identification cards for voting identification (N.C.G.S. § 163-166.18).

Of the applications submitted, state board staff recommended 13 for approval. Those ID applications that staff did not recommend for approval typically lacked an expiration date as required by state law.

The recommendations for approved IDs were provided to the five state board members for review. The state board has approved 12 of the recommended institutions, and it will further consider the one remaining recommendation, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Mobile UNC One Card, at a board meeting later this month. The board must decide whether mobile identification cards are acceptable for voting. The UNC-Chapel Hill physical student and employee IDs remain approved for use, regardless of the board’s decision on the mobile ID card.

See the full applications at NCSBE Public Files Folder: 2024 Student and Employee ID Applications.

“We urge all North Carolina voters to make sure they have an acceptable ID for voting purposes ahead of the Nov. 5 general election,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the state board of elections. “If you do not have one, you can get one for free from your county board of elections or at any NCDMV office.”

Voter photo ID background

Voters in North Carolina will be asked to present photo identification to vote. Most voters will simply show their driver’s license, but there are many other acceptable photo IDs. Voters who do not have an ID when they vote can make sure their vote counts by either filling out a form explaining why they are unable to show ID, or showing their ID at their county board of elections by 5 p.m. Nov. 14, the ninth day after the election.

For more information on the photo ID requirement, including the current list of acceptable IDs, go to BringItNC.gov. Voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID 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.

In addition to Catawba College’s One Card, the other newly approved IDs are listed:

• Brevard College: Student
• Campbell University: Student voter ID card
• City of Gastonia: Employee
• Chowan University: HawksCard (Student)
• Davidson-Davie Community College: Student Voter ID Card
• Duke University: Duke Card (Student)
• Guilford County Schools: Employee
• Mayland Community College: Student
• Southwestern Community College: Student
• North Carolina Department of Administration/State of North Carolina: Employee
• Western Piedmont Community College: Student

These IDs are in addition to the more than 120 student and employee IDs already approved for voting purposes in 2024. The full list of acceptable IDs for voting in North Carolina is available at BringItNC.gov.