(AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Nearly everyone who voted in person in North Carolina's primary last month presented a qualifying photo ID, election officials told lawmakers Wednesday. But even if there was an option to vote without ID, it's unclear how many people wouldn't bother voting in person or by mail because they didn't have ID.
A total of 1.8 million people voted in the March 5 primary, marking the first statewide election in which the photo ID requirement approved by the Republican-led General Assembly in 2018 actually took effect. . Legal challenges (one still pending) delayed its start until after small local elections were held last fall.
More than 99.9% of those who voted in person during early voting or on their first election day presented a valid photo ID, according to the state commission's presentation to the state Legislature's Election Oversight Committee. This is virtually the same percentage of people who voted in person during the three municipal election cycles.
The state board spent about $100,000 on an advertising campaign leading up to the primary, focused on encouraging people with eligible ID to vote in person. Much of the work to implement the new rules fell to pollsters.
“I commend the county election board and the way this board handled the election. We had good numbers in local governments and in the primary,” State Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell told lawmakers. Told.
Those who cannot provide eligible identification will vote provisionally. That person must then fill out an ID exception form or return to the county courthouse with ID before the county can ask for their ballot to be counted. Those voting traditionally absentee will also be asked to place a copy of their ID in an envelope or fill out an exception form.
The state commission reported that 1,185 voters cast provisional ballots related to photo ID, from which slightly more than 700 ballot choices were counted. The remaining 475 ballots were largely uncounted because voters who did not fill out the exception form did not return with ID.
Critics of voter ID mandates argue that they discourage people from voting at all and reduce turnout, especially among minorities and the poor. It is challenging the ID law and alleging similar bias in a federal lawsuit scheduled to begin next month.
Sen. Natasha Marcus, D-Mecklenburg County, praised the state commission's voter education efforts, but said that some people decide they “don't vote because they know they don't have voter ID.” He questioned whether the committee knew how many people there were. ”
“It feels like there is a gap in our understanding of the impact of voter ID laws,” Marcus said. Brinson-Bell said he had no immediate knowledge of information to calculate such an impact. But voters in local governments and primaries are typically the most knowledgeable about the voting process and likely to know how to have their votes counted, she said. But the situation will change in the general election, when around three times as many people are likely to vote.
The state commission plans to spend an additional $730,000 on a voter ID advertising campaign between now and the Nov. 5 election, including an It also includes a message on how individuals without one can obtain an ID.
“We know we need to reach a wider range of individuals and a larger number of individuals to make sure we get the information out,” Brinson-Bell said.
Brinson-Bell also cited concerns about executive staffing, particularly in the state's 100 counties, with an eye toward fall elections. She said there have been as many as 60 different board changes since 2019, when she took on her current position. Thirty-seven of her cases were retirements, some brought on by the difficult environment at a time when election administration is being challenged by the public and politicians.
“Election professionals face continued hostility, harassment, and significant changes in their workload and demands placed on them,” Brinson-Bell said. The move means there will be a first presidential election in 2024 for the permanent director role for at least 28 of the county board members, it added.