Out-of-state students who want to cast their ballot in North Carolina can now get free identification that will allow them to do so.
A portion of the state’s voter ID law went into effect at the beginning of the year and allows voters in North Carolina to apply for free photo identification at Department of Motor Vehicle offices.
The bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory in August, has been criticized for discriminating against minority voters.
According to the law, voters must present photo identification at the polls, beginning with the presidential elections in 2016.
Acceptable forms of IDs include a valid N.C. driver’s license, a U.S. passport or a veteran’s ID card. A driver’s license issued by another state would be accepted if the voter registered within 90 days of the election.
Student IDs do not qualify as valid IDs. An early version of the law allowed students to use ID cards issued by the university system. The change had sparked some criticism.
“They don’t respect a photo ID from the university,” said Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy N.C., a left-leaning advocacy organization. “It makes people feel like they are second class voters.”
But people can apply for a free ID for the purpose of voting from the DMV if they have no other acceptable form of state ID.
To obtain a no-fee voter ID card, the voter must already be registered to vote, according to the DMV website.