How many eligible voters per DMV are there in North Carolina?

Starting with the 2023 election, voters in North Carolina will be asked to show photo ID when voting.

The North Carolina Board of Elections has released a list of accepted identifications.

Acceptable forms of ID include:

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 (available soon)
• 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

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

Any of the following, regardless of whether the ID contains an expiration or issuance date:

• Military or veterans ID card issued by the U.S. government
• Tribal enrollment card issued by a tribe recognized by the State or federal government
• ID card issued by an agency of the U.S. government or the State of North Carolina for a public assistance program

Two of the forms of accepted ID – the North Carolina Driver’s License and the State ID – require a trip to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

In this post, we examine the geographic distribution of DMVs in North Carolina and what population(s) they serve.

DMVs in North Carolina

There are 116 DMVs in North Carolina and 83 of our 100 counties currently have at least one DMV location. Some of the DMVs  are not open full time. These include locations in Chowan, Robeson, Allegheny, Mitchell, and Stokes Counties. There is also a mobile office in the Lumberton CDL in Robeson County.

However, the populations of these counties vary – so the number of residents per DMV also varies considerably.

The number of eligible voters per DMV (by county) ranges from 8,750 eligible voters per DMV in Alleghany County to 161,860 eligible voters per DMV in Union County. (We'll note that people don't always go to the DMV in their county, but may have to travel further to go to a different DMV.)

How many DMVs operate per voting-age resident in the fastest growing parts of North Carolina?

In the fastest growing areas of the state, we see fewer DMVs per resident eligible to vote.

The fastest estimated population growth between July 2021 and July 2022 was seen in Brunswick County (5.7%) followed by Currituck (4.4%), Pender (4.2%), Franklin (3.8%), and Lincoln (3.6%).

Of these 5 fastest growing counties, Currituck County does not have a DMV, and the 4 other counties only have 1 DMV.

Although the ratio of eligible voters per DMV in Brunswick County is less than in more populated counties, the infrastructure at DMVs in counties that have experienced large population growth may have trouble accommodating increased demand.

Why this is important

Of the 116 DMVs in the state, 53 have appointments for first time driver's licenses available and only 53 are currently taking new appointments for state ID cards, as of July 26, 2023. Of these 53 DMVs, most are not taking appointments until mid to late October.  (These numbers frequently change as appointments open or close and may be different when you look.) There are staffing shortages at many DMVs, as reported by Axios Charlotte.