The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has submitted a request for its campus card to be a valid form of identification at state voting booths. If approved, the request would make the UNC One Card a valid voter ID in time for the 2023 municipal elections and valid through the primary and general elections in 2024.

As reported by student publication, The Daily Tarheel, voters in the state of North Carolina are required to show a form of photo ID, typically a driver’s license, at the polls. The voter ID requirement was reinstated by the Supreme Court of North Carolina in April.

UNC joins other institutions in the state to pursue voter ID compliance for the campus card, including most recently at Appalachian State. Like UNC, App State's campus card lacked the mandatory printed expiration date, which is one of the required components by the North Carolina State Board of Elections in order to be accepted as a valid form of identification at the polls.

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, to request approval for a campus card to be used in the 2023 municipal elections, educational institutions must have provided a signed Student or Employee Identification Approval Form and a digital image of the ID card to the State Board by June 28, 2023.

The board of elections also outlines in detail the card requirements for voter ID compliance, including:

• A photograph representing a clear and accurate likeness of the student on the front of the card.
• Student cards issued by the university or college on or after January 1, 2021, contain an expiration date.
• Access to the equipment used for card production is restricted through security measures.
• The student ID card is issued via a process that verifies the student's identity with some other method of confirming identity (Social Security Number, citizenship status, etc.).

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