The North Carolina State Legislature approved a constitutional amendment to require photo identification to vote by mail or by other means, rather than only for voters voting in person. The amendment will appear on the Nov. 2026 ballot.
In North Carolina, voter ID is currently required for those voting in person but is not required for those voting by mail. This requirement was enacted via ballot measure in 2018.
North Carolina is one of nine states that requires approval from 60% of both legislative chambers to place a measure on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 72 votes in the North Carolina House of Representatives and 30 votes in the North Carolina Senate.
The amendment was introduced as Senate Bill 921. On Dec. 2, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 30-19, along partisan lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. On Dec. 11, the House passed the bill with all 72 Republicans in favor. Among House Democrats, 45 voted against the bill, and one joined Republicans voting in favor of the bill.
Heading into the 2024 general election, North Carolina was one of four states with a governor of one party and a supermajority of a different party. The state had a Democratic governor, while Republicans had a 30-20 majority in the state Senate and a 72-48 majority in the state House.
At the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, Republicans retained 30 of 50 (60%) seats in the Senate. In the House, Republicans won 71 of 120 (59%) seats, a decrease from 72 (60%) before the election. Therefore, once new state representatives are sworn in on Jan. 1, Republicans can no longer pass constitutional amendments along partisan lines in the House.
Sen. Warren Daniel (R-46) said, “Voter ID is a commonsense security measure that needs to apply equally to all voters. As voting has evolved over the years, protecting against fraud needs to as well. We shouldn’t treat one form of voting differently, and our constitution should reflect that.”
Katelin Kaiser, policy director of Democracy North Carolina, said, “This is another attempt to disenfranchise voters by mail, and it is working. Legislative leadership has made it more difficult for students, older people, and people who are disabled to vote by mail in North Carolina.”
In 2018, North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring voter ID to vote in person with 55.5% of voters in favor. Court rulings prevented the amendment from taking effect, however, on April 28, 2023, the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed its decision in Holmes v. Moore, allowing the voter ID law to take effect.
Another constitutional amendment passed in the senate that would reduce the maximum income tax rate from 7% to 5%. The amendment will be placed on the Nov. 2026 ballot if approved by the state house before the North Carolina General Assembly adjourns its session on Dec. 13.
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