RALEIGH — The comment period has opened for the proposed text of a permanent administrative rule pertaining to the issuance of free voter photo ID cards by county boards of elections.
A release from the state Board of Elections says there is a temporary rule in the state administrative code detailing the process for requesting and issuing a voter photo identification card, which was adopted by the state board April 4 and became effective April 29.
The temporary rule has a lifespan of 270 days, or about nine months, from the time published in the North Carolina Registar. The permanent rule will replace the temporary one.
In 2020, voters in North Carolina must show photo identification to vote in person, or to vote absentee-by-mail. There are limited exceptions, the release says. Free photo ID can be obtained at the county Board of Elections offices across the state.
A public hearing is Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. at the state Board of Elections office on the third floor of the Dobbs Building, 430 N. Salisbury St. in Raleigh.
The public comment period is ongoing until Jan. 14. There is a portal on the state board’s website at ncsbe.gov, email is to [email protected], and traditional mail should be sent to State Board of Elections, Attn: Rulemaking, P.O. Box 27255, Raleigh, NC 27611-7255.
In North Carolina, the 2020 election cycle primary is in March. To vote in the March 3 primary, voters should be registered by the Feb. 7 deadline. The general election is Nov. 3.