— The State Board of Elections told county offices Friday to stop giving out free photo identification cards.

The decision follows a federal court order blocking the state's voter ID requirement, at least temporarily. North Carolina voters were going to have to show photo ID at the polls, with some exceptions, starting with the 2020 elections.

That's on hold, at least for the March primary.

As part of the state's voter ID law, the General Assembly mandated that election offices in all 100 North Carolina counties provide free photo IDs to people who need them. State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell sent those offices a memo Friday, telling them to stop issuing voter ID cards immediately "to avoid confusion by the public and to ensure voters do not receive inaccurate information."

The state and local offices will update a number of things in the wake of U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs' decision, which will be appealed. Brinson Bell's memo said county offices should remove signs reminding people of the new photo ID requirement and that new signs would be coming soon.