This Just In ­– Election Day is closer than you think.

Don’t let it sneak up on you … the polls will be open for in-person early voting here in North Carolina on Thursday, October 17.  North Carolina’s absentee ballots will go out in the mail starting September 6 – we’re first in the nation!

Have a plan for when and how you’re going to vote.

So, here I sat contemplating just that – my plan. I want to vote as early as possible this time around. Life can be uncertain and I would be in a state of high anxiety if I waited until Election Day. So I want to get it done, then start putting up my Halloween decorations and planning my Election Night watch party.

I’ve been procrastinating on an important piece of my plan … getting my driver’s license renewed and making the jump to “Real ID” which I’ll need if I want to fly on an airplane next May and beyond.

I have read that it saves time to make an appointment with DMV in advance. Wow … WAY in advance, it turns out. Looking at DMV’s website, it shows that there are no appointments available for about two-thirds of the state – from east of Raleigh to the mountains. If I had an appointment, I’d gladly take the excuse to go to Morehead City. No problem! First available – November.

My license expires on my (August) birthday, so I went to DMV in Carrboro a few weeks ago to attempt my renewal in person. I’m willing to wait in line.  They were completely slammed. I left, expecting to return this week, packed up and ready to camp out until I get the job done.

I’ve seen plenty of occasions when DMV was dealing with backlogs, but this does seem like an exceptional demonstration of what-the-hell-is-going-on-here?

Apparently, the use of outside vendors has created a huge backlog in issuing Real IDs and while it might normally take a few days to get your ID sent to you in the mail, it may now be several weeks … like six weeks … before you can be sure it will arrive. I’m sure this varies and I’m hopeful that it will be slow but successful when I arrive at DMV’s doorstep this week.

(Photo via AP Photo/Chris Carlson.)

I’m a good driver. I like driving well enough, but if someone (like a doctor or a judge) said I could never drive again, I wouldn’t cry myself to sleep. I have 30 days after my license expired to legally drive, so I’m still legit on the road until mid-September, but then it hit me … driving is one thing, voting is another.

If someone were to turn me away from the voting booth this particular year … well, I just cannot think about that. I might need bail money. I’d be especially out of my mind if that were to occur because North Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicles, which has had this backlog virtually all year, could not figure out the solution to this vexing problem.

WORK MORE HOURS. DMV should be open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week until this backlog is cleared. I’m looking at you, Governor Cooper. FIX IT!

Meanwhile, I do have some good news. You can go to the Board of Elections and through a quick, easy process, you can get a photo ID made that will be accepted at the polls.  No help on an airplane next year, but first things first. Here some more information from the State’s Board of Elections website:

Acceptable Photo IDs for Voting

Any of the following that is unexpired, or expired for one year or less:

  • North Carolina driver’s license
  • State ID from the NCDMV (also called “non-operator ID”)
  • Driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, District of Columbia, or U.S. territory (only if voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election)
  • U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport card
  • North Carolina voter photo ID card issued by a county board of elections (see Get a Free Voter Photo ID)
  • College or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections
  • State or local government or charter school employee ID approved by the State Board of Elections (see box below)

Note: A voter 65 or older may use an expired form of acceptable ID if the ID was unexpired on their 65th birthday.

Many thanks to elections volunteer Kay Singer for her assistance in identifying these resources.

Ready, Set, VOTE!!!

jean bolducJean Bolduc is a freelance writer and the host of the Weekend Watercooler on 97.9 The Hill. She is the author of “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” (History Press, 2016) and has served on Orange County’s Human Relations Commission, The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, the Orange County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Orange County Schools’ Equity Task Force. She was a featured columnist and reporter for the Chapel Hill Herald and the News & Observer.

Readers can reach Jean via email – jean@penandinc.com and via Twitter @JeanBolduc

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