State Election Officials Continue Efforts to Collect Voter ID Information

In August 2013, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed a sweeping voter identification law. Some of the provisions included requiring voters to cast their ballots in their appointed precincts and reducing the state's early voting period from 17 to 10 days. Several components of the new law are being challenged in at least four federal and state lawsuits.

But a key part of the law requires voters to show photo identification at the polls, such as a driver's license or passport. The new law won't go into effect until 2016, but state elections officials are taking steps now to prepare voters for the changes. During the North Carolina primary on Tuesday, poll workers asked voters if they had a photo ID.

“This is the first election that we knew about the voter id requirement for 2016, said Lamar Joyner, deputy director for the Forsyth County Board of Elections. Joyner said voters who didn't have photo identification at the polls on Tuesday were asked to sign an acknowledgement of the ID requirements.

“We will continue collecting their information during early voting, but we will also do that on primary election day. We will gather their names and contact them to provide them information about getting the proper ID for the 2016 elections.”

Joyner said North Carolina elections officials will begin contacting voters in the coming weeks. He said one of the easiest ways to obtain the required identification is through local DMV offices, where they are offered at little or no cost.

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