GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1997

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 736

Short Title:  Voter I.D.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representatives Justus; Cansler, Capps, Davis, Ives, Morris, and Sexton.

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Referred to:  Election Law and Campaign Reform.

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April 1, 1997

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO REQUIRE ALL COUNTIES TO ISSUE VOTER REGISTRATION CARDS AND TO PROVIDE FOR A VOTER IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENT AT THE POLLS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 163-82.8 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163-82.8.  Voter registration cards.
(a)	Authority to Issue Card. –The county board of elections shall issue to each voter in the county a voter registration card not later than December 31, 1997.
(b)	Content and Format of Card. – At a minimum, the voter registration card shall:
(1)	List the voter's name, address, and voting place;
(2)	Contain the address and telephone number of the county board of elections, along with blanks to report a change of address within the county, change of name, and change of party affiliation; and
(3)	Be wallet size.
No voter registration card may be issued by a county board of elections unless the State Board of Elections has approved the format of the card.
(c)	Ways County Board and Registrant May Use Card. –The county board may use that card as a notice of tentative approval of the voter's application pursuant to G.S. 163-82.7(c), provided that the mailing contains the statements and information required in that subsection. The county board may also satisfy the requirements of G.S. 163-82.15(b), 163-82.16(b), or 163-82.17(b) by sending the registrant a replacement of the voter registration card to verify change of address, change of name, or change of party affiliation. A registrant may use the card to report a change of address, change of name, or change of party affiliation, satisfying G.S. 163-82.15, 163-82.16, or 163-82.17.
(d)	Card as Evidence of Registration. – A voter registration card shall be evidence of registration but shall not preclude a challenge as permitted by law.
(e)	Display of Card. –Except as provided by G.S. 163-150(a), no county board of elections may require that a voter registration card be displayed in order to vote."
Section 2.  G.S. 163-150(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Checking Registration. – A person seeking to vote shall enter the voting enclosure at the voting place through the appropriate entrance and shall at once state his name and place of residence to one of the judges of election. A voter shall show one of the following types of identification:
(1)	A voter registration card issued under G.S. 163-82.8 in a county which issues such cards;
(2)	A drivers license;
(3)	A special identification card issued under G.S. 20-37.7;
(4)	A passport;
(5)	An identification card issued by the U.S. Department of Defense; or
(6)	A social security card and one other type of identification showing the name and a picture of the voter.
A voter who does not show one of those types of identification, but does not otherwise appear to be ineligible to vote in the precinct, shall be allowed to mark a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot shall be sealed in an envelope on which the voter shall sign an affidavit attesting to identity and eligibility to vote the ballot. The county board of elections shall determine if the voter is eligible to cast the ballot and, if so, shall count it, and if not, shall not count it. The State Board of Elections shall promulgate rules for provisional ballot procedures to include instructions for county boards of elections in methods to determine the eligibility of persons who vote a provisional ballot under this subsection. In a primary election, the voter shall also state the political party with which he affiliates and in whose primary he desires to vote, or if the voter is an unaffiliated voter permitted to vote in the primary of a particular party under G.S. 163-119, the voter shall state the name of the authorizing political party in whose primary he wishes to vote.  The judge to whom the voter gives this information shall announce the name and residence of the voter in a distinct tone of voice.  After examining the precinct registration records, the chief judge shall state whether the person seeking to vote is duly registered."
Section 3. This act is effective when it becomes law.