GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 715
Short Title: Student Voter ID Grant Program/CCs. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Meyer and Murdock (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S715 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO APPROPRIAT E FUNDS TO REQUIRE T HE STATE BOARD OF 2
COMMUNITY COLLEGES T O ESTABLISH THE STUD ENT VOTER 3
IDENTIFICATION GRANT PROGRAM AND TO ENCO URAGE COMMUNITY 4
COLLEGES TO APPLY FOR GRANTS UNDER THE PROGRAM. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community 7
Colleges System Office the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in nonrecurring 8
funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year for the State Board of Community Colleges to establish the 9
Student Voter Identification Grant Program (Program) to provide grants to community colleges 10
of up to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per community college to upgrade necessary 11
equipment and facilities to produce student identification cards that can be used to vote in person 12
in accordance with G.S. 163-166.16. The State Board shall develop a process for receiving 13
applications from community colleges and award grants no later than August 15, 2025, to any 14
community college that submits a reasonable and timely plan for the expenditure of funds 15
consistent with the purposes of the Program. No community college shall receive more than one 16
grant under the Program. No later than February 15, 2026, the System Office shall report to the 17
Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the identity of the community colleges 18
receiving grants under the Program and the purchases made with the funds awarded. 19
SECTION 1.(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the 20
State Board of Elections shall review and approve the application of any community college 21
receiving funds under the Student Voter Identification Grant Program established in subsection 22
(a) of this section that is submitted to the State Board by September 1, 2025, to have its student 23
identification cards approved for use as photo identification cards, if the application complies 24
with other requirements for such an application established by the State Board. 25
SECTION 2. It is the intent of the General Assembly (i) to encourage all community 26
colleges in the State that do not have student identification cards that can be used to vote in person 27
in accordance with G.S. 163-166.16 to apply to receive grants under the Student Voter 28
Identification Grant Program established pursuant to Section 1 of this act and (ii) that the Program 29
remove the existing financial barriers of community colleges to providing students with valid 30
photo identification for voting. 31
SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 32