Duke reversed a fall 2023 decision to make the DukeCard fully digital in a move ensuring that the cards comply with North Carolina’s new voter identification requirement.
Last year’s decision marked an effort by the University to reduce the cards’ environmental impact. However, after a failed attempt by Duke to have the mobile DukeCard approved as an acceptable photo ID by the North Carolina State Board of Elections, the University moved to issue physical cards to the Class of 2028.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s mobile ID card was approved by the NCSBE as an acceptable form of photo ID.
The state legislature first passed a photo ID requirement in 2018, but it was soon struck down by the Democrat-controlled N.C. Supreme Court. However, a Republican-controlled court overturned the decision last year, meaning this November marks the first time North Carolinians must adhere to the policy in a general election.
“We decided to pre-print that card for the first-years as an easy way to get that out to all the students that may need it for voting,” said Debbie DeYulia, director of DukeCard services and program management.
Last year, the DukeCard Office worked with Duke Votes to create a Student Voter ID, which included an expiration date and was approved by the NCBOE in July 2023. Students were able to request a card to use in the 2023 municipal election, as well as the 2024 primary and general elections.
DeYulia explained that “because that voter ID card was approved, any physical DukeCard that someone has — even without the expiration date — is also kind of grandfathered in to also be used at the polls,” meaning students can use their regular physical DukeCard as an acceptable photo ID to vote.
DukeCards are the main form of identification for students, allowing them to access buildings on campus and use their deposited funds for amenities like dining and laundry.
When Duke made the switch to mobile cards last year, access to physical cards was limited for the Class of 2027 to those who were either unable to download the Mobile DukeCard because their devices did not meet minimum requirements or needed access to a “specific lab or Health System building which requires a Prox DukeCard,” according to an August 22, 2023, email from the DukeCard Office sent out to the then-incoming students.
Sophomores without the physical cards said they haven’t yet received any communication from the University on how to obtain a physical DukeCard before Election Day.
“That's really confusing for me because I am registered in North Carolina, but I don't have a N.C. ID, so I would need that physical DukeCard to vote,” said sophomore Pranav Hooda.
DeYulia told The Chronicle that the DukeCard Office is pre-printing physical cards for sophomores to use as voter identification, though she clarified that they will not be fully functioning DukeCards to be used to access on-campus services. She added that more information would be conveyed to students shortly.
Beyond voting, some first-years have found minimal uses for their physical DukeCard.
“I think it serves no purpose … it's annoying to carry around,” said first-year David Colin. “When they handed it out, they literally said … ‘this is a souvenir.’”
However, first-year Julia Zheng stated that the DukeCard was helpful for getting discounts at nearby stores where you have to “prove that you're a Duke student.”
Sophomore Bo Groff expressed frustration at not being able to access such off-campus discounts because sophomores were not given physical cards. He also explained that he needed his DukeCard to access his room in Trinity dorm, which often presented an inconvenience.
“If I just wanted to go study or go to the bathroom, I had to bring my phone with me, and if I did forget it in my room, I would have to … get a hold of my roommate somehow or my RA to get back into the room,” Groff said.
Hooda echoed Groff’s sentiment, saying he hoped there would be a way to obtain a physical DukeCard that possessed all the capacities of the mobile one.
“For example, if I wanted my friend to go get food for me or something, I could just give him my DukeCard rather than giving him my entire phone,” Hooda said.
However, the return to a physical DukeCard raises the issue of sustainability, one of the primary reasons DukeCard went digital last year.
According to the DukeCard website, mobile credentials “reduce the impact of plastic badges, printers, ink, storage and handling on our environment.” The site also claims that switching to digital IDs saves 5.2 tons of plastic cards from being discarded and is 93-98% more energy-efficient.
DeYulia said the DukeCard Office is continuing to work to get the mobile card approved for voter identification “so that [the University doesn’t] have to continue to print the cards.”
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