The recent lawsuit brought against the University of North Carolina by the state Republican Party and other conservative groups over its voter identification procedures is built on shaky ground. At its core, this action lacks a strong foundation, both in terms of the law and common sense.
The university, in my view, has done everything right. UNC's efforts to issue voter IDs to its students not only comply with the law but also reflect a thoughtful approach to ensuring voter access, especially for young people, many of whom may not have other forms of ID.
Let’s start with the key issue: compliance with North Carolina’s voter ID law.
In 2018, the state passed a constitutional amendment requiring voters to present identification at the polls. The General Assembly later outlined what forms of ID would be acceptable. It wisely included student IDs from state universities, provided they met certain security standards. UNC followed that law to the letter by implementing a process to issue IDs that would allow students — many of whom are first-time voters — to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
The claim that UNC’s process is legally inadequate simply doesn’t hold water. The university, like other schools in the state,........