With N.C. voter ID requirements in effect this election, many college students may be at risk of having their ballot discarded.
A June Bass Connections report found that one in eight Duke students and nearly half of North Carolina Central University students who voted in the March primary had their vote thrown out due to provisional balloting.
It further found that while 37% of provisional ballots in Durham County were thrown out, 61.7% of provisional ballots cast by Duke students — 37 out of 60 — were thrown out.
Provisional ballots are provided to voters when questions arise about their eligibility, such as when a voter is unregistered, has an incorrect registration on their address, or is unable to provide a valid ID. Once a voter fills out this type of ballot, election officials at the North Carolina State Board of Elections research the eligibility of a ballot and determine whether it will be counted.
Even when voter eligibility is questioned, state law mandates that no person may be denied a provisional ballot in North Carolina. Election results cannot be finalized until all eligible provisional ballots are counted.
According to Nasser Hussain, associate director of civic life and thought, whether or not provisional ballots are thrown out can ultimately affect the outcome of a close election. However, it is unclear what kind of impact these ballots may have.
“There is an assumption that the disenfranchisement of young voters benefits Republicans at the expense of the Democrats,” Hussain wrote. “This election cycle is quite interesting because the Trump campaign has made an effort to target Gen Z voters, specifically young males. So [it is not] the partisan matter that some might expect it to be.”
Hussain described that the “mobile” nature of college students may lead to issues with voter registration, such as having an incorrect address.
Students can provide a valid passport or N.C. driver’s license as photo identification to vote. They can also use a driver’s license or government-issued ID from another state, but only if they registered within 90 days before Election Day, a policy that may cause confusion among out-of-state students.
The NCSBE approved both the physical DukeCard and the Duke Student Voter ID Card as valid forms of voter identification. However, they did not approve digital student IDs, such as the Mobile DukeCard.
In fall 2023, Duke transitioned from physical to fully digital DukeCards to reduce environmental impact. This fall, the University reversed the decision and began printing physical DukeCards for the Class of 2028 after the NCSBE did not approve the mobile version as a valid form of ID.
The University offered students in the Class of 2027 the opportunity to pick up a physical DukeCard during early voting, with remaining cards available at the DukeCard office through Election Day.
Members of the University community have made an effort to inform student voters of the requirements to cast a successful ballot, explained Jon Green, assistant professor of political science.
“I think you've certainly seen the campaign-affiliated groups being quite active on campus, both encouraging early voting and … providing information and resources about how to do so in ways that ensure that your ballot is actually counted,” he said.
Hussain proposed that when students receive their physical ID, they should be made aware that they may need it to cast their ballot.
“We should do everything to make sure Duke students can exercise their democratic rights which are enshrined in the Constitution,” he wrote. Hussain also suggested that universities should educate out-of-state students during orientation on how to vote in their new state of residence.
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