A federal judge in North Carolina upheld the state's photo voter identification law, ruling it constitutional and rejecting claims that lawmakers enacted it with discriminatory intent against Black and Latino voters.

The law has been in effect since the 2023 municipal elections after a state Supreme Court ruling, with the March 3, 2026 primary marking the first statewide election under the 2018 law.

The NAACP can appeal the decision, signaling potential further legal proceedings.

Provisional ballots can still be denied if the information on the form is false, so not all provisional votes are guaranteed to be counted.

The court acknowledged that while the law imposes burdens on those without photo ID, the burden was not shown to be greater than ordinary voting burdens under current standards.

The case continues to influence eligibility and enforcement practices for election administration in North Carolina.

Judge Biggs noted the record does not prove the burden is greater than the usual voting burdens, even though minorities face voting challenges and there is a history of race-based discrimination in the state.

North Carolina provides free ID options at the DMV and county election offices, with an exception process for voters who lack IDs on Election Day.

The ruling keeps the law in place for elections, including free ID availability and an exception path to count ballots without photo ID.

Ballots can count even without photo ID if the voter completes an exception form or presents ID before certification.

In the November 2024 election, roughly 2,000 ballots were discarded for ID reasons amid 5.7 million ballots cast.

The story was published March 26, 2026, by the News & Observer, with Democracy Reporter Kyle Ingram.