From Carolina Journal’s Daily Journal:
The 2018 ballot was loaded with constitutional amendments. Six, to be exact. Four will become part of the state constitution, but the General Assembly must pass enabling legislation for one, “Requires a photo ID to vote in person.” It passed by a 55 percent-45 percent vote.
The voter ID amendment is a workaround for a 2013 law struck down in court for violating the rights of minority voters. The statute defined acceptable identification as a state driver’s license, a state-issued ID card, a military ID, or a U.S. passport. Under the guidance of this amendment, the legislature will make laws governing which forms of identification voters can present at polling places before they cast ballots.
The General Assembly will return Nov. 27 to pass legislation implementing the amendment, and probably taking up other business. While more than 30 states have some form of voter ID requirement, including three of North Carolina’s neighbors, courts recently have given tougher scrutiny to states which have implemented photo ID mandates.
Lawmakers will have to decide which forms of identification the state will accept when registered voters cast ballots — and if the new law will allow voters who don’t have driver’s licenses (the ID most widely accepted) to get a state-approved ID at no cost, and where to obtain it.
Read more here.
