Will Your Student ID Work In The 2020 Election?

WUNC News | By Anita Rao,

Published October 31, 2019 at 12:26 PM EDT

Voter ID laws come as college students are increasingly turning up to vote. Nationwide, 40 percent of the approximately 10 million students voted in the 2018 midterms, more than double the rate in the 2014 midterms.

North Carolina students face a new roadblock when it comes to participating in the next U.S. election. Most of the state’s public universities have until Nov. 15 to re-apply for their student identification to be used as valid photo ID at polling places. Nearly half of N.C. higher education institutions missed the initial March deadline and had to scramble to meet a new deadline on Oct. 26.

Host Anita Rao speaks with William Hicks, assistant professor of Political Science at Appalachian State University, about elections strategies and why students are vulnerable voters.

All 17 University of North Carolina system schools requested approval during the earlier March application, yet only five were approved — North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, Elizabeth City State University, Appalachian State University, and the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Many students’ ability to register or vote are impacted by broader debates over precinct mapping, ID and residency requirements. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is also undergoing discussions with Orange County to redraw precinct maps to unify the campus and situate polling at Kenan Stadium. Host Anita Rao speaks with William Hicks, assistant professor of Political Science at Appalachian State University, about elections strategies and why students are vulnerable voters.