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A North Carolina judge has upheld a decision by the Democratic-majority state election board allowing the use of virtual student IDs for voting, specifically recognizing the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s mobile app as a valid form of identification.
This ruling came after a challenge from Republican groups, including the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party, who argued that state law did not permit virtual IDs for voter verification. Despite these objections, the judge found no legal violation in the board’s decision, marking a significant step towards recognizing digital forms of ID in the electoral process.
This judicial outcome represents one of the first instances in North Carolina where virtual IDs have been legally accepted for voting purposes, potentially setting a precedent for broader digital ID acceptance in future elections.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory dismissed the GOP’s request for a temporary restraining order against the state election board’s decision to approve virtual student IDs for voting. He argued that the board was likely to prevail in the case, indicating confidence in their legal standing to expand what constitutes acceptable voter identification.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory’s decision to uphold the use of virtual student IDs for voting comes just weeks before the commencement of in-person early voting in North Carolina, scheduled for October 17.
This timing coincides with the state conducting its first major election after implementing its voter ID law, which, although passed by the Republican-majority legislature in 2018, faced legal delays until its enforcement in May 2023. This election cycle is particularly critical as North Carolina emerges as a pivotal battleground in the presidential contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to Real Clear Politics, the race in the state is virtually tied, with Trump slightly ahead at 47.6% to Harris’s 47.5%, highlighting the state’s toss-up status as per the Cook Political Report.
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