As controversy swirls around new voter identification laws in battleground states, North Carolinians may mistakenly believe they will need a photo I.D. when they go to the polls this fall. Not so. 
The vast majority could easily provide a drivers license, passport or other government ID to prove they are who they say they are. But the potential for disenfranchising 10 to 12 percent of voters who do not own such ID should concern everyone who embraces this nation’s freedoms and rights. 
Voter confusion has been the main by-product of the voter ID push, and no wonder. The 50 states seem to be at 50 different stages of accepting or denying such laws, and keeping up is not easy. In North Carolina, Republican lawmakers passed a strict voter ID bill last year and proclaimed victory. But Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed the law, and this was one of the few Perdue vetoes that Republicans were not able to override. Hence, North Carolina voters do not have to show an ID to vote — yet.
The State Board of Elections referred 43 cases of potential voter fraud, already a felony in the state, to district attorneys in 2008 and 21 in 2010. Those are small numbers compared to the 147,000 active black voters who do not have photo ID, according to the election reform group Democracy North Carolina. The fact that Republicans suddenly became alarmed about voter fraud after President Obama’s clear win in 2008 — and not by George W. Bush’s squeak to victory in 2000 — invites skepticism about their motives.
North Carolina should work toward a voter ID program that’s more thorough and pro-active than last year’s knee-jerk legislation. If advocates are sincere about their intent to improve confidence in voting — and not merely discourage the young, the elderly and people of color — they will allow a wide range of acceptable identifications and fund outreach programs to ensure every eligible adult has an opportunity to get one. Lawmakers should also take a look at absentee voting and voter registration as areas vulnerable to fraud and tighten up those procedures. 
At the moment, voter ID laws are a mess. A judge stayed Pennsylvania’s voter ID law, but that state’s government is still disseminating information suggesting an ID will be required to vote. Tennessee’s new law accepts a variety of identification — including a gun permit and a photo — but not photo IDs issued by colleges or libraries. 
Confidence in election results also requires sincerity of effort. Motives should be questioned when select groups are disallowed or government sends mixed messages. North Carolina can learn from the mistakes other states are making this fall.