Union County voters will decide whether to lock North Carolina's photo ID requirement into the state constitution when early voting opens Thursday, Oct. 15, and on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The voter ID amendment is one of three constitutional questions on the statewide ballot. It would expand the constitution's photo ID mandate beyond in-person voting to cover all voters, including those who vote by mail. The ballot language reads: "Constitutional amendment to require all voters, not just those presenting to vote in person, to present photo identification before voting."

State law already requires photo ID for mail-in ballots. The General Assembly added that requirement in 2024, building on a 2018 constitutional amendment that covered only in-person voting. So the practical question is not whether voters will need ID. They already do.

The question is whether that rule belongs in the constitution.

Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll, told NC Newsline that the amendment is "largely about locking in the status quo," as WFAE reported. Husser said enshrining the requirement constitutionally means the legislature could not simply change its mind about voter ID in the future.

Andy Jackson, director of the Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank in Raleigh, told Spectrum News 1 Charlotte that the amendment would make the requirement much harder to challenge since voter ID has already held up in court. Jackson said voters should expect no change to how they already cast ballots.

Brooks Fuller, policy director at Common Cause North Carolina, sees it differently. Fuller told Spectrum News that Black voters and young voters are statistically less likely to have qualifying photo ID.

An Elon University Poll released Sept. 17 found 63% of likely voters favored the voter ID change, 25% opposed it and 12% were unsure. Among Republicans surveyed, 95% favored it. Among independents, 62% did. Among Democrats, 33% supported it. Of the three amendments on the ballot, the voter ID question drew the highest opposition.

The amendment needs only a simple majority of votes cast on that question to pass, according to WSOC-TV. The governor has no veto authority over constitutional amendments proposed by the General Assembly.

The legal fight over voter ID continues in the courts. A federal judge ruled March 26 that the General Assembly did not violate the U.S. Constitution or the Voting Rights Act when it enacted the photo ID law, according to Democracy Docket. The NC NAACP had argued Republicans passed the requirement with discriminatory intent against Black voters. NC NAACP President Deborah Dicks Maxwell called the ruling "deeply disappointing," according to Courthouse News. WFAE reported that the NAACP is appealing the decision.

Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, told WUNC News she opposes the amendment. Rep. Mike Schietzelt, R-Wake, told WUNC he supports it, saying mail-in ballot voting has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Union County has nine early voting locations opening at 8 a.m. Oct. 15 and running through Saturday, Oct. 31, according to the Union County Board of Elections. The voter registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. Residents who miss that deadline can register and vote during early voting with same-day registration, proof of residence and a qualifying photo ID.

Acceptable IDs include a North Carolina driver's license, a state ID from the NCDMV (North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles), a U.S. passport, a free voter photo ID card from a county board of elections and an approved college student ID, among other forms. Voters who cannot present an ID may fill out an ID Exception Form at the polls or include one with a mail-in ballot.