Let’s Talk About: North Carolina
We’ve been lucky enough to snag an interview with North Carolina resident and lawyer Kat Roblez. Kat is Senior Voting Rights Counsel and Litigation Manager at Forward Justice. Kat Roblez is an experienced voting rights attorney who is a dedicated advocate for racial and social justice, and driven by her commitment to ensuring equitable access to the ballot box. Driven by her fervent belief in the power of litigation to effectuate change, Kat joined Forward Justice in 2019, a leading force in the fight for social and racial equity in the South. Here, she serves as a strong partner to both local and national movements, contributing to the collective effort to dismantle systemic barriers that disproportionately affect Black and brown North Carolinians.
She answers some very important questions below!
Can you explain North Carolina’s voter ID requirement? What IDs are accepted?
For the first time in a presidential election, North Carolina is requiring voters to show an accepted photo voter ID when voting both in-person and by mail. Several types of IDs are accepted so long as they are unexpired (or have been expired for one year or less), including a North Carolina Driver’s License, U.S. Passport, or a college or university ID from an approved institution. Another set of IDs are accepted regardless of expiration date, including a military or veterans ID or a tribal enrollment card. There are exceptions to the expiration date requirements for voters who are 65 or older. A full list of the IDs can be found here on the State Board’s website.
How will this affect North Carolinians?
Expert reports have shown that hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians do not have one of the accepted IDs under this statute, and that those individuals are disproportionately Black and Hispanic voters. Those individuals also face higher barriers to obtaining an ID for purposes of voting. Fortunately, individuals can obtain a free ID from their local County Board of Elections or a free non-operator ID from the DMV, and several organizations are on the ground assisting voters with obtaining an ID, such as VoteRiders.
How can voters without a photo ID – or who forgot their voter ID - vote?
Everyone can vote with or without a photo ID, under the exceptions that are a part of the voter ID statute. If someone comes to the polls without their photo ID or doesn’t have an accepted ID at all, they may either (1) request an “ID Exception Form” where they will state why they don’t have an ID, and cast a provisional ballot which must be counted unless the information on that form is false; or (2) Cast a provisional ballot and return to their County Board of Elections with an accepted ID by the day before county canvass (November 14th).
If an individual is voting by mail and doesn’t have an ID, they can fill out the ID Exception Form that was included with their absentee ballot documents. On that form, a voter can indicate why they don’t have an ID or why they were unable to include a copy of it, including lack of access to a photocopier.
How do I ask for a provisional ballot? What can I say?
If a voter doesn’t have an accepted ID at all, they should say “I do not have an accepted ID under the statute and I would like to vote provisionally using the ID Exception Form.”
If a voter has an accepted ID but doesn’t have it with them, they can either say: “I do not have an accepted ID with me today and I would like to vote provisionally using the ID Exception Form”
OR
“I do not have my ID with me today, but I would like to vote provisionally today and return to my County Board of Elections with my ID later.”
If they choose the latter option, they must go in person to their County Board of Elections with their ID and show it to an employee there by November 14th.
What if they give me trouble? What do I say then?
If the poll worker is unfamiliar with these options, a voter should ask to speak to the Chief Judge at their polling site to make this same request. If they are still being given trouble, they can call 1-888-OUR-VOTE, a hotline which will be live answered during all of early voting and on Election Day.
Can anyone else find out how I voted in North Carolina?
No. In North Carolina, the State Board maintains the NC Voter Search website, which will tell you whether or not someone voted, as well as in what county and using which method. However, who an individual voted for on their ballot is always private.
Kat Roblez is an experienced voting rights attorney who is a dedicated advocate for racial and social justice, and driven by her commitment to ensuring equitable access to the ballot box. Kat graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Notre Dame in 2006, and later earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2009. During her time at Harvard Law School, Kat served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Latino Law Review, Co-President of La Alianza and a student attorney for Harvard Defenders.
Post-graduation, Kat gained litigation experience at international law firms in Boston and Washington, D.C., before transitioning to a role as a Trial Attorney for the Department of Justice. However, her true passion is leveraging her legal expertise to address systemic injustices. Driven by her fervent belief in the power of litigation to effectuate change, Kat joined Forward Justice in 2019, a leading force in the fight for social and racial equity in the South. Here, she serves as a strong partner to both local and national movements, contributing to the collective effort to dismantle systemic barriers that disproportionately affect Black and brown North Carolinians.