Do you have a Real ID yet?

David777

Well-known Member
Location
Silicon Valley
Although the question greatly impacts controversial voting issues, given SF board policy, please refrain from bringing up that politicalized facet of the discussion. This article today is a good short summary of the current implementation status.

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/06/nx-s...id-deadline-is-here-heres-why-it-took-so-long

Those using airline travel and seniors without established SS benefits are most likely to be initially impacted. Next may increasingly be used for other federal program purposes. An estimated 9% of legal Americans do not have legal documents. Will not having documents affect you?

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/11/nx-s1-4991903/voter-registration-proof-of-citizenship-requirement

U.S. citizens of color are more likely than white citizens, who do not identify as Latino, to say they lack citizenship documents (3% of people of color compared to 1% of white people) or can’t readily access them (11% of people of color vs. 8% of white people). Independents are more likely to report that they don’t have documents (4%) compared to Democrats (2%) and Republicans (1%). They are also more likely to report not having ready document access (13%) than Democrats (10%) and Republicans (7%)...

And for more than 3.8 million adult citizens, or about 2% of eligible voters, there’s no document to find at all, according to the survey’s estimates. That includes birth certificates. “Older Americans and Black Americans, particularly in the South, are more likely to have been born outside of a hospital setting, meaning they didn't receive a birth certificate automatically,” Kunis points out...


In the US, powerful groups have over decades blocked implementations for national IDs. This link against IDs provides brief history and summarizes the situation well.

https://www.endtime.com/articles-endtime-magazine/why-america-has-always-refused-national-id/

This person has plenty of ID documents including my birth certificate and birth registration from the county of Los Angeles where born. Even though my parents were careful keeping such documentation, 2 of my 6 siblings have been so disorganized as adults that they lost such decades ago and have also never paid IRC or state taxes though have always barely made a living. I was also thoroughly investigated by the FBI after entering the USAF during the Viet Nam War because I worked in a classified electronics field.

Personally, I am one of many that believe in this technology and communication era implementation is inevitable, necessary, ought be mandatory, and could be implemented given oversight without abusing civil rights. Something that cannot be said about the past both in the US and other nations. Lack of IDs causes many problems while allowing those disregarding and breaking laws to spread rot in societies.
 

I've had an EDL for something like 16 years. They predate Real ID, and are a superset of those anyway. Basically the same in function as a US Passport Card.
 
I don't have the energy to visit my DMV. Maybe I will invest in a passport. Also, unless an emergency, I'm not flying anywhere. I wish but I no longer can. Would need a companion to help me. Unfortunately, as I would love to visit BFF in S. FL.
A passport was my initial response. Isn’t that why many of us get them?
 
I don't have the energy to visit my DMV. Maybe I will invest in a passport. Also, unless an emergency, I'm not flying anywhere. I wish but I no longer can. Would need a companion to help me. Unfortunately, as I would love to visit BFF in S. FL.
@Pepper you can get a passport at your local Post office. I've seen them do it there many times and they make good work of it. Quickly. :)
 
The Post Office is where I got my passport, but "quickly" does not apply. Try waiting 6 weeks before getting a passport.
If you make an appointment at the Philadelphia Passport Office, you can probably pick it up before you leave the building.
 
I had no idea they had a Real ID .

I have my drivers license , got new VA card but truth is never heard of real ID but makes sense .
 
The Post Office is where I got my passport, but "quickly" does not apply. Try waiting 6 weeks before getting a passport.
You can get an expedited passport same-day if you can prove travel plans within 14 days and pay an extra $60. There is a passport center down the road from me that facilitates it. You have to book a post office visit for the same service and sometimes they are backed up a few days.

I did my renewal online and I got it in 15 days.

I believe in making things easy as possible when traveling. I dislike waiting in lines I could have avoided. Real ID/Passport/TSA#/Global Entry will help you avoid most hassles.
 
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A passport was my initial response. Isn’t that why many of us get them?
No, a passport and a REAL ID are not the same thing, though a passport book or card can be used as a REAL ID. A REAL ID is a specific type of state-issued identification that meets enhanced security standards and is required for certain federal facilities and domestic air travel. A passport, while also a form of identification, is primarily used for international travel and doesn't necessarily have the same security features as a REAL ID.
 

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