{"id":15742,"date":"2023-06-12T18:22:19","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T18:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/?p=15742"},"modified":"2023-06-28T16:44:53","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T16:44:53","slug":"impact-of-id-barriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/impact-of-id-barriers\/","title":{"rendered":"How Barriers to ID Impact Different Communities and Restrict Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY MOVEMENT ADVANCEMENT PROJECT<\/p>\n

Identity documents (IDs), like driver\u2019s licenses and birth certificates, are common and vital parts of everyday life and civic engagement. Yet, clear system-level failures make it too difficult for many people to get and maintain accurate IDs. These challenging obstacles can turn to real harm for people of all backgrounds\u2014and especially for groups that face ongoing discrimination and marginalization.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Major roadblocks to IDs, however, can be avoided and fixed. MAP’s report,<\/span> The ID Divide: How Barriers to ID Impact Different Communities and Affect Everyone<\/span><\/i><\/a>, and its accompanying fact sheets highlight clear, achievable policies that make it possible for people to acquire IDs and equally participate in civic life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An Uneven Landscape and Roadblocks to Accessing ID<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

IDs are regularly required in day-to-day life \u2014 from driving, to opening a bank account, getting a job, and, increasingly, voting. Yet, roughly one in eight adults in the United States (an estimated 30 million people) lack a driver\u2019s license. What\u2019s more, an estimated 15-18 million adults in the United States\u2014more than the total population of Pennsylvania\u2014do not have access to documents proving their birth or citizenship, which are often necessary to obtain an ID. These staggering numbers can be explained by system-level failures, which have created obstacles to getting and maintaining accurate IDs for many people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Identity documents typically build upon each other. If a person lacks their birth certificate, for instance, it is harder to get a driver\u2019s license. If they lack a driver\u2019s license, it is harder to prove their identity to get an official copy of their birth certificate. These circular challenges and other barriers\u2014including burdensome documentation requirements, prohibitive financial costs, limited availability of ID services, a confusing patchwork of policies, and discrimination\u2014make it all the more difficult to acquire an ID.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"How<\/a><\/p>\n

While approximately 12% of U.S. adults nationwide lack a valid driver\u2019s license, we also know that who has an ID varies across certain communities. For example, an estimated 21% of Black adults and 68% of transgender people don\u2019t have a valid, accurate driver\u2019s license. These disparities are in part due to the ongoing obstacles marginalized groups encounter when attempting to acquire an ID.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n