Lost your voter ID? Here’s how you can still cast your ballot in NC’s elections
All voters are required to show ID to cast their ballot in this year’s election, but what happens if you don’t have one, or lost it?
This situation is of particular concern given the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene last month. As much of Western North Carolina attempts to recover from the storm, voters may have lost their ID in the chaos.
State law provides exemptions to the voter ID law for victims of natural disasters.
Here’s what you need to know to make sure you can vote this year.
What IDs can be used to vote?
Voters may provide a driver’s license, passport or free voter photo ID card from their county board of elections.
The state has also approved dozens of student and public employee IDs for voting.
A full list of approved IDs can be found on the State Board of Elections’ website.
Can I still vote if I don’t have an ID?
Yes.
Any voter who doesn’t have an ID can fill out an ID exception form when they go to vote.
This form provides a variety of options for voters to select as the reason why they cannot provide an ID. These include that the ID was lost or stolen, that a voter applied for an ID but has not received it, or that a voter has a religious objection to being photographed.
Another of those options is that the voter was a victim of a natural disaster within 100 days before Election Day. Anyone affected by Helene would fit into this category.
All votes cast with an exception form will be counted unless the bipartisan county board of elections unanimously agrees that the information contained in the form is false.
Do I still need an ID if I’m voting absentee?
Yes.
Voters casting an absentee ballot must include a photocopy of an acceptable voter ID alongside their ballot.
A copy of the ID exception form will also be included in a voter’s absentee ballot packet, which they can fill out if they do not have an ID.
When and where can I vote?
Absentee voting has begun. Voters can request an absentee ballot online using the state’s ballot request portal. All absentee ballots must be delivered to the county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters in the 25 counties affected by Helene can return their absentee ballot to any county elections office in the state.
In-person early voting begins on Oct. 17. Voters can find early voting sites in their county using the State Board of Elections’ search tool online.
Voters can also cast their ballot in-person on Election Day, Nov. 5. A voter’s Election Day polling place can be found by looking up their voter registration on the state board’s website.
This story was originally published October 16, 2024 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Lost your voter ID? Here’s how you can still cast your ballot in NC’s elections."
