106 Comments
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Kathleen McCook's avatar

Florida required this under Jeb Bush. For women (or anyone who has had a name change since birth) it is a challenge. The process requires you to prove you are the person who was given a name at birth no matter how many marriages, divorces or becoming a movie star. This means marriage licenses and divorce papers.

I would imagine Elizabeth Taylor would have a really hard time.

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John J’onzz's avatar

I just got my license renewed a year or so ago, and had to go to the hellscape that is the NYC DMV, and brought all of the necessary documents, and it's not a "Real ID" for whatever reason, which makes zero sense if this was on the horizon. Now, I have to go back to the DMV to get the new ID, and it's booked to hell with people suddenly needing this thing. What kind of sense is this?

I have a passport, so I can fly and can avoid the DMV for now, but I'm a little unclear on my status entering federal buildings. It's beyond frustrating that in typical government ineptitude that they weren't issuing these IDs for the past 20 years when they knew they'd eventually be necessary. Why do we trust these people to do anything right, ever?

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Kathleen McCook's avatar

After GWB it could have been withdrawn maybe under BO and JB but it wasn't, so not sure why NY would lag.

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Ts Blue's avatar

Government? Sense?

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5JimBob's avatar

A passport should get you in to any Federal building or compound. I’ve used mine as ID in this way for years.

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MG's avatar

It took me all of 2 minutes to request marriage license from my state. I can't believe all the winging about this.

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Kathleen McCook's avatar

Yes but if more than one marriage compounds.

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MG's avatar

The send two requests. Jeez, can't anyone problem solve any more?

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Kathleen McCook's avatar

For real ID you need marriage papers, divorce papers, remarriage papers and these can be in different states some of which may be more complex. I am simply explaining why some people might find this onerous. It is quite do-able, but people who have name changes are required to have all the documents that trace back to birth certificate.

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Nina's avatar

This law is consistently misrepresented. You don’t HAVE to have a real ID for domestic air travel after May 7. A US passport or any one of 14 other types of id will suffice. Resist!!!

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Hollyberry Sunshine's avatar

Nina is 100% correct! Don't buy the "No fly lie" and please check out the extensive work that has been done on this at https:://RefuseRealID.org by Twila Brase's group at Citizens Council for Health Freedom ( https://cchfreedom.org ) . There are only 5 states that I know of that one can not opt out of RealId (Mississippi is one of them). Please opt out of this and do not consent!

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Kelly Green's avatar

Thank you! I didn't want to get a real id because of the fact that the state would have the same information on me as before for my regular drivers license, so now, instead, I got a Tribal Nation ID, a Honduras passport, a Manitoba driver's license and a U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential. Four of the "14 other types of ID that will suffice". Ready to fly!

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An Inconvenient Truth's avatar

What are the other 4?

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Christopher B's avatar

I got a passport card, which is otherwise useless, when I renewed my passport just to avoid the hassle of getting a Real ID.

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KHP's avatar

Not entirely useless. Passport card is valid ID for entering Canada, and for Mexico except for air travel.

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Substack Reader's avatar

Resist what, exactly? I just want to be able to fly. Joining the merchant marines so I won't have to get a real ID compliant driver's license seems a bit extreme...

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Nina's avatar

See prior comments for answers to your questions. And you do not have to join the merchant Marines in order to fly. Just get a regular old US passport.

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Substack Reader's avatar

So a Real ID compliant driver's license is oppressive, but a passport isn't? I am not following your train of thought whatsoever.

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DB's avatar

This has been done years ago in states with a competent state government. No reason for this to be a looming crisis for anyone and not a big deal to get done.

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Substack Reader's avatar

If that's the marker of a competent state government, then mine isn't. However, my point here is that I see nothing to "resist."

"Resist! Show the man you aren't a pawn! Get a Real ID compliant passport instead of a Real ID compliant driver's license!"

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SyberPhule's avatar

I'm guessing it was sarc; otherwise why on Earth would this be an issue?

And in Kentucky it took about 30 minutes since I had all of the required paperwork.

Passport took quite a bit longer.

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MG's avatar
May 2Edited

I've had mine for at least 10 years (live in Nebraska).

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Mark's avatar
May 1Edited

Right? I don't get why this form of ID is worse than any other form of ID. You also need to provide some pretty expansive documentation to prove your identify for a passport. Do we just trust the USPS more than the DMV (I mean, I probably would but they're both not exactly paragons of fun experiences).

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Nina's avatar

See Hollyberry Sunshine’s comment and links provided which I will not repeat here.

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catfish rushdie's avatar

Or flap your arms real hard.

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Deb Hill's avatar

Lol

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Artemus Gordon's avatar

I don't know about resist, but I've had a passport for 50 years and it's been accepted by most places that require id. Washington state charges an extra fee for an "enhanced" ID / operators license, so I only have the unenhanced version. Canada, Mexico and the airlines all accept US passports as "Real ID". I'll wager your real id won't get you into Chile or Japan or most other countries overseas so if you ever plan to travel internationally, you'll need a passport. i think the resist part comes in to effect as, if you have other acceptable id like a passport, the extra fees for enhanced licenses is just another tax for not paying attention.

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Irwin Chusid's avatar

Such intrusion into my privacy. OMG, I hope the government doesn't find out my SS#.

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SUZ's avatar

That’s pretty funny 😄

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John Rogitz's avatar

How America deals with government failures:

1. Never hold government or its failing bureaucrats accountable.

2. Red-ass ordinary Americans to no discernable effect. Illegal aliens have been granted drivers licenses by the millions. Future terrorists will be able to obtain Real IDs. This is nothing more than useless security theater.

3. Never learn from past or present stupid, worthless government overreaction, as a billion shoeless shuffles and counting through U.S. airports (but not European, where the Shoe Bomber originated) over the past 20 years proves. Along with every single government Covid intervention.

4. Never hold government or its failing bureaucrats accountable.

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The Ungovernable's avatar

I’m sure illegal aliens will be required to also have a Real ID.

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Substack Reader's avatar

Exactly. I can no longer fly (my driver's license is not compliant, I learned today), but known illegal aliens are allowed to remain and are treated with kid gloves.

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Elizabeth's avatar

And remember Biden et al let them flood our borders with no verification whatsoever, and even allowed them to fly (and paid for their flights!) with no ID “real” or not.

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BookWench's avatar

Ha!

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Kevin Skehan's avatar

I flew on Monday, April 28, one week before the deadline for this ridiculous requirement. I have purposely put off getting a new state driver’s license as my current one doesn’t expire for another four years. I want to avoid submitting to any further government identification requirements as long as I can. Anyway, at the airport on Monday, I got pulled aside and told that they were starting a “soft launch” one week before the actual deadline! WTF?! I had to submit to extra scrutiny involving having my hands checked, for explosive material I guess!! What bullshit!!

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Some Guy's avatar

I finally got mine so I could stop bringing my birth certificate and electric bill to the FFL every time I want to buy a box of ammo in California. Inconvenience works wonders in generating compliance.

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KHP's avatar

California still lets you buy ammo? Who knew?????!!?!

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Some Guy's avatar

For now lol. There is a new 11% tax and mandatory background check for each transaction, and the entire transaction must be recorded with audio and video and stored in an archive. Can't purchase it online or have it shipped to your house either.

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BookWench's avatar

That must be why CA is so safe!

Oh -- wait. . .

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KHP's avatar

New tax? Should be fairly easy to overturn based on Star Tribune

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Christopher B's avatar

This is essentially one of those 'unfunded mandates' from the Feds to states because it impacted how they produce driver's licenses. It's not just the paperwork requirements for the application (which should be a one time thing) but also the controls on how the licenses are printed. I've lived in Iowa and Kentucky, and in both states when you renewed your license before Real ID the new one was generated right there in the office, at least one per county, on a big printer/laminator. Now the physical Real ID has to be produced in a controlled environment which would be prohibitively expensive to station in dozens (Iowa has 99 counties, Kentucky more than 100) of DL offices. Kentucky has been resisting this for a long time because of the expense of compliance with the secure generation requirement.

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Zayphar's avatar

The implimintation of Real ID will last just until some random lower court judge no one has ever heard of issues a nationwide permanent stay to stop it.

If if actually goes into effect while Trump is president, I will be surprised.

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April Rudolph Van Luven's avatar

https://www.cchfreedom.org/national-id/

Another block of the digital control grid....

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KaiKai's avatar

Now, let’s make these real IDs voter IDs so they have some value.

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BiltvonGott's avatar

Not thrilled with the whole federal government ID regime, but how is this worse than what’s required to obtain a passport? How about we layer on a citizenship bit and use for voter ID?

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SyberPhule's avatar

Heretic! /s

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Art's avatar

Isn’t the whole issue with states that haven’t been issuing Real ID licenses for years is that they claim it is an inconvenience for illegals and certain other individuals?

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BiltvonGott's avatar

idk, here in the Democratic People's Republic of Illinois, they've been doing it for some time now. I wouldn't think the regime here is particularly unfriendly to illegal aliens or "other individuals".

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Michael Karg's avatar

If you ever filed a tax return, 30,000 clerks at IRS have your "number(s), all of them. If you ever did credit/debit business, another 30 million, or so, clerks have them too. Security schemurity, password asswerd, who's kiddin' whom? "Could I get the last four digits of your SS and your BD?" Game over, and it actually never started.

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sarah richardson's avatar

Real ID is not necessary or a good idea- It could be used to become the link to digital control. Hello

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Shaun's avatar

Yeah you freaking said that already. And it didn't make sense either time...

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David Cashion's avatar

I'm sorry, I didn't catch that.

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DB's avatar

We've had this for several years in Georgia.

If you live in a state where this hasn't already been done, that should be a warning sign about your state government incompetence.

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MDM 2.0's avatar

My state has been compliant for years, and I also have a passport, passport card and Global Entry card (I cross internationally daily, the cards make it easier)

If your state is still non compliant after this many years, think that's a state issue, not a Fed gubmint issue

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Brandy's avatar

Really grateful Mississippi knew better than to wait and ask people to produce all that. I think they started doing this almost as soon as they knew about it. They didn't give anyone a choice. They just did it during renewal.

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Piper Dunne's avatar

Precisely. All I had to do was renew my license online and ~voila~ receive it in the mail. Not sure why it needs to be more complicated than that!

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