Effective May 3, 2023, everyone will need to show a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID to board a domestic flight.
My driver’s license expires in December and I just got a card from the Missouri Department of Revenue detailing the requirements I will have to fulfill in order to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license.
- Birth certificate (original, certified) or unexpired passport or unexpired resident card.
- Social Security Card (signed, not laminated)
- Two documents establishing residency from different sources received within 90 days. Driver’s license renewal card, utility bills, and paychecks are the only acceptable sources.
Fortunately I have a certified copy of my birth certificate. Originals are no longer issued, but the certified copy was good enough to get me a passport (now expired so I can’t use that) so I hope it will do.
I lost my social security card ages ago. Probably when I got robbed 25 years ago. Luckily, I am on SS and Medicare and am familiar with the MY Social Security web site. It was not too difficult to apply for a replacement.
I’m retired so I don’t have any paycheck stubs. My apartment is all electric and the landlord pays water so I only have one utility. Still, I can use the renewal card and electric bill so I’m okay.
I will have all the documentation I need to obtain my REAL ID. Still, it’s pretty complicated. I’m thinking about those who would need to obtain all of those documents and the hassle involved. Young people who have difficulty following a complicated set of steps to achieve a goal (That was me). Older people on the other side of the digital divide. Those with limited transportation.
Mark Sumner wrote a diary back in September about the absurdity of people making a fuss over a vaccine requirement ( 15 minutes at your local CVS or Walgreens) to fly compared to the amount of hassle necessary to obtain a REAL ID. I thought of that. I also thought about the possibility of Republican legislatures hell bent on voter suppression making it a requirement to vote.
According to FindLaw
The short answer is no. REAL IDs are not required to vote, at least not now. [My bold]
But would you put anything past them?