NC court rules UNC digital IDs can’t be used for voting

The North Carolina Court of Appeals made a pivotal decision on Friday, overturning a lower court’s approval of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s mobile One Card as an acceptable form of voter identification.

The court sided with the plaintiffs, highlighting concerns that allowing digital IDs could pave the way for ineligible voters to participate in elections, thereby breaching state regulations that ban mobile device usage during voting.

In a unanimous decision, a trio of judges granted the appeal from the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party, a ruling that could potentially be contested at the federal level.

Lawyers for the Democratic National Committee argue that disallowing the digital ID could create confusion and risk disenfranchising as many as 40,000 individuals connected to the university, particularly as the election approaches. Former President Trump currently holds a slim lead of 0.6 percent in this battleground state, a factor that could significantly influence the upcoming presidential race.

The Hill has reached out to both UNC and the State Board of Elections for their responses.