Member poll regarding birth certificates and/or passports

 1. Birth certificate which just found out while applying for TSA precheck is not a certified birth certificate. Easy enough to order online and should be here in about 10 days.

I have my marriage license. 

FYI, the marriage license is required when one applies for TSA Pre-Check who is going by their married name.  

I thought there is already a law on the books (from way back) that says must be a U.S. citizen to vote.  I don't know why anyone would have a problem with that being the case.   Of course many U.S. citizens by birth are cavalier about citizenship, and about voting.  Sad.  JMHO.

Candy

Yes it has been the law that only citizens can vote. 

For a long time people have had to swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that they are a citizen in order to register. 

Currently when someone registers to vote the state checks records and databases to ensure that the person is a citizen and is eligible to vote. Most people register to vote either online or at a registration drive and these checks are done behind the scenes. 

I think that is reasonable. States have plenty of resources to ensure that only eligible voters register. 

What the proposed legislation changes is it requires one to take documentation to a brick and mortar location in order to register. No more online registration. No more voter drives at grocery stores, farmers markets, concerts etc. 

The proposed legislation also raises certain constitutional questions. One of those being if a birth certificate or passport is required to register and there are fees associated with obtaining those documents does that violate the prohibition against charging a fee to vote? 

I think it is absolutely reasonable for states to take necessary steps to ensure that only eligible voters register and that only registered voters vote. But I don't think that is the true purpose of this proposed legislation. 

I have all my documents.   

But here's a fun fact from my own anecdotal experience.    I volunteer for an outreach program in downtown Indianapolis.    THey help foster kids who just turned 18.    At that point most of them lose their funded housing and foster care as they are now adults.      Most of them dont have  documents of any kind - they tend to get lost with all the shuffling around.   No birth certifcate, no Drivers License, no SS card.  Many of them dont even know what their SS number is - we have to get it from the state.     And it all takes time - weeks to months. 

And then they have to get an ID which means someone has to give them transportation to the BMV and they have to pay the fees which they dont have money for.   We pay for  them.   Ultimately we get about 3/4 of our kids straightened out on that front.    But its not a walk in the park.   Can you imagine how many foster kids who dont have access to a volunteer agency like this struggle to get their documents?

Moral of the story:    We tend to see the world through our own life experiences.   Maybe we grew up in a functional household where dad taught us how to drive and got us a license at 16 whereupon we took a job delivering pizzas.     Not everyone grew up like that.    Just getting an ID can be difficult for an 18 year old with no job and no means of transportation.      SO when people say "people without ID's are just lazy"....well thats because they dont look beyond their own life experience.   And thats a big problem when you let people like that legislate for everyone.

That sounds like a great organization you work with. 

Thank you for sharing this. That is a really good example of things that I think can be overlooked when proposing certain policies or regulations. 

People often have a hard time realizing how things most people take for granted can be truly complicated or even practically impossible for some people through no fault of their own. 

1.

I have an easily accessible passport and card, I had to get a copy of my birth certificate from another state awhile back, took a few weeks but was fairly easy.  Passport renewal last year with passport card, super easy online.  Had to get a Real ID in 2019, just showed up with the proper documentation (and aforementioned birth certificate).   Nothing was difficult, just have to focus on what's required and produce it to submit properly.  Same with Clear and TSA precheck, just follow the easy directions.  I did Precheck last week after only having Clear for 5-6 years, it took me 5 minutes through their app, a trip to Staples and 10 more minutes and approval by text with KTN sent in 16 hours.

There are services available online if people can't figure it out.  Yes, I am very tech proficient far beyond what a regular person is as I write software for a living and have done so for 25+ years, so I do have that advantage.  I could see how it would be very hard for some people to do.  But 99% could figure it out if they actually tried and followed the directions.  (Focus!)

Whenever I travel I always take the passport card as a second ID and keep it separate from my wallet, usually in the hotel safe with a credit card.  That way I have a backup if needed.  I highly recommend getting the passport card when you get a passport.  It's very, very useful.

And, once you have a passport, all the other items become much easier to do, should you need a real id, Clear, Precheck, Global Entry, etc.

Good for you, PJ.  My church supports The Call, a non-profit that supports foster care children and their families.  My first knowledge of the foster care system, the huge challenges they face.   

Just FYI I saw a piece about country singer Emmylou Harris who runs an animal rescue shelter in Nashville.  She hires kids aging out of foster care, teaches them about animal care and rescue etc. and pays them.  Seems like it could be an excellent model for businesses who want to contribute to society in a valuable way.

Candy

I have a passport book, a Global Entry card, and my birth certificate within reach right now. I used my passport to travel the last week of February, and I had my Global Entry card with me. I always take it when I travel internationally, but have never needed it. I couldn't use Global Entry returning to the US because of the fight in Congress, but luckily, customs in Orlando wasn't busy, and we breezed through, but got hung up on having our luggage scanned again for our connecting flight.

The whole Save Act bullshit it's a solution looking for a problem because drama queen Trump lost the election. Guess what, MAGA? IT WASN'T STOLEN, TRUMP AND THE BIAS RIGHT-WING MEDIA LIED TO YOU.

Oh man when I did pre-check a couple years ago it took months for them to give me my ktn. Glad to hear they are processing faster now

Have passport book and card. I use my passport card as my "real id". 

Never did clear. Mostly because I find their reps at the airport a bit obtrusive and annoying. Also I pay my extortion fee to TSA precheck and that seems like enough. Haha. 

I would have dual citizenship, so I would still have my American citizenship.  I'm actually doing it more for my son, so that he has more job opportunities.  He has his aviation mechanics certification and on April 4th should have his helicopter pilot's license.  Having the German citizenship would allow him to work over much of Europe without need for multiple work visas.