I had lived many years in Maryland, but after a layoff, I found work again in North Carolina, the state of my birth. Preoccupied with other things, I allowed my driver's license to expire. (I do not presently own a car.)
Here is my experience of getting ID again. This diary is intended for North Carolinians who currently lack ID, and may include details that some already know.
1. Documentation needed
My old license, expired less than a year, was accepted as a document; but this was unclear when I read the web site. So I applied for a copy of my birth certificate (first proof of identity), and brought my Social Security card (second proof of identity and of SSN), a pay stub and a copy of an electric bill (proof of residency).
2. The birth certificate
The birth certificate proved unnecessary; but some others seeking ID might need it, so I'll describe what happened here. Your mileage may vary if you were born in another state.
Per the Department of Vital Records, the search for a birth certificate costs $24 and can take six to eight weeks. An additional "expedite fee" of $15 can speed this up. I paid the expedite fee and used a copy of a pay stub and an electric bill.
I get my electric bill by email, and had to print a copy. This led to no apparent problems, and my certificate arrived in the mail in about two weeks.
3. Getting the ID
The nearest DMV office to me is a few miles away. If I had a driver's license, this whole procedure would be unnecessary, so the transportation -- $15 cab fare each way, including tip -- is part of the expense.
The fee for the ID is $10. It's more for a driver's license (and you need insurance), but this diary is about voting, not driving. North Carolina now offers a voter ID without the fee; the documentation requirements seem to be the same as for the regular ID. Fees must be paid in cash, check or money order; the DMV does not accept plastic.
The card arrived in the mail about ten days later.
4. The bottom line
- I encountered nothing that I could construe as anti-voting shenanigans. Then again, I'm white and employed at a comfortable salary, and my expired license was still good for documentation. The main reason that Art Pope might want me away from the voting booth is that I'm a registered Democrat.
- The whole process took a few weeks. It might take longer for those who need a birth certificate and cannot afford the expedite fee. If you need ID, start now; don't wait until a week before the election.
- The official websites for the DMV and Vital Records are as linked here. Google searches led me to dmv.org, an unofficial site which I found to be less reliable.
- Transportation costs may be an issue for some voters, especially in rural areas where cabs may be expensive or nonexistent. This factor may favor the Democrats, since urban residents are more likely to have access to buses. Rides to the DMV seem like a reasonable GOTV activity.
7:50 AM PT: Edit: Most DMV offices seem to be open 8:00-4:30 Monday through Friday. Some cities have at least one office that is open on Saturday from 8:00 to noon. The DMV web site has no single list of offices and their hours that I could find; you have to select a county, and North Carolina has 100 of them. This information is from a quick sampling of counties.