Issuing free photo IDs to voters could cost North Carolina less than $30,000 a year.
According to numbers compiled by Daren Bakst, Georgia requires photo ID from each voter and issues free IDs to anyone who doesn’t have some other accepted form.
Between June 2006 and December 2010, Georgia issued an average of 5,311 photo IDs per year. Given North Carolina’s larger number of registered voters, that number would be closer to 5,550 IDs here – call it 6,000 to be safe. The state charges $10 for a non-driver’s photo ID, so assume the total cost is about half that, or $5 per card. That would mean costs of $30,000 per year.
