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Comment by detaro | Hacker News Reader

Not American, but from my understanding it is because US citizens don't have mandatory ID documents. If getting documents necessary to vote is voluntary but requires time and money, going to an office in the next bigger town, bringing documents not everyone might have, ..., disadvantaged people have a harder time to obtain them and are less likely to have them.

If you get ID automatically or are required to hold it in other parts of life, it's less of a hurdle.

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In the US practically everyone has a state issued driver's license. Good enough to fly, should be good enough to vote

One aspect of the problem is that voting involves more stringent ID checks than you might normally encounter in everyday life.

You might think you have an ID that's good enough for driving or buying alcohol, but you can be turned away at the polls if it expired a few days ago and you haven't had a chance to take time off work to get it renewed. Or if you moved recently and the address on your ID doesn't match your voter registration. Or if your name changed when you got married, but your ID still shows your former name.

Yes, these problems are avoidable. But the process still disproportionately disenfranchises people who are less likely to be able to spend the time on getting them resolved before it's time to actually vote.

>if it expired

It can't be valid if it has already expired, can it?

Not everyone has a DL. Many many folks are either too old or poor to have the need for a DL.

Voter ID laws would be great if the politicians proposing them didn't also underfund the ability to get the IDs.

Or physically disabled in a way that precludes them from driving without unreasonable effort.

Anyone can get an ID card, no drivers license required.

I was following up on the reply thread from someone who said that "In the US practically everyone has a state issued driver's license".

Anyway, the downsides of not having a mandatory ID system was already mentioned repeatedly here.

Why not repurpose passport (the card one) into national ID?

Why is this a good idea ?

US Passport Card is an internal passport used to travel to dependencies of US, and more people than full passport holders have that. It is nationally issued.

About half of Americans don't have a passport, and many oppose a national ID card.

You don't need an ID to fly.

Since when? You actually need a REAL ID approved by the federal government. If it's a federally regulated aircraft, you need a federally-approved ID.

https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

Edit: It's not completely enforced yet (the REAL ID aspect). Some states are still working toward compliant. You still need an ID though.

Since forever.

https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2013/04/09/tsa-travel-tips-tuesday-...

The intent here is if you lost your ID, but I guess if you're willing to have additional screening and waste your time, go for it. It's also a risk that they can't confirm your identity.

"If we can confirm your identity, you’ll be cleared to go through security, and you may or may not have to go through some additional screening."

That's also just the TSA. You'll still have to convince the carrier to let you board without an ID.

Edit: Your link is 5 years old, and I don't think is up to date. Here's the current policy:

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

"Adult passengers 18 and over must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel." They do so you "may" be able to travel if you forgot your ID.

I've personally dealt with this a couple years ago. My wallet was stolen while traveling. All that happened was they searched my bags harder. Lol, "randomly selected for additional screening". Sure, whatever.

Just because someone starts off asking you for an ID doesn't mean that they don't have a process for no ID.

How many people never fly anywhere because they can’t afford the flight or time off from work? How many don’t have an up-to-date drivers license because they don’t have the time to go to the dmv to get it reviewed? How many people don’t have a drivers license because they can’t drive because they are old or blind or otherwise disabled and unable or unwilling to drive?

Most people may have valid drivers licenses but voting must work for all people.

If we can trust Politifact (we can) 1 of 10 white citizens and 1 out of 4 black citizens do not have a driving license: https://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2012/jul/11/eric...

There is the additional complication that in some states they'll yank your license for unpaid traffic fines or for uninsured driving. It's fair that you can't drive but it isn't fair that traffic scofflaws can't go to the polls.

Make ID cards free.

I always hear this, but getting a state issued ID is ridiculously easy and it fulfills ID requirements.

And costs $14, at least in Ohio.

It's not hard but I wouldn't call it 'ridiculously easy'. In Michigan, you need to supply minimum four documents. One of which is for proof residency which can be really hard for a homeless person.

Take NYC for example:

To apply for a photo ID card, you must:

Be a citizen or a legal resident of the U.S.

Be a resident of New York State.

Have your original birth certificate.

Have your Social Security card.

Be able to provide enough documents to verify your identity.

https://www.dmv.org/ny-new-york/id-cards.php

That's far from easy, and it's very easy to imagine scenarios where one lacks one or more of those. Proving residency can be hard, and is impossible for those who are homeless. The homeless have a right to vote.

My wife can't get NY ID, since she her mom changed her name as a baby twice and lost all of the docs, so they won't accept her current proof.

Then we should be trying to help homeless people get valid IDs, their quality of life depends on it at least as much as voting, likely far more.

This doesn't sound right. I got an NYC ID (Learner's Permit) without being a citizen and without presenting my birth certificate. I think I have had my Foreign (Ukrainian) Passport, employment authorization form (the form that goes with H1B visa), and a SSN card. I don't remember having to prove that I'm an NYC resident and I don't think I could have proved that -- I was living in a corporate housing back then.

Proving identity is like trying to write an address validation algorithm: there’s a million one-off, real-world exceptions to any given rule that it makes it impossible.

https://www.mjt.me.uk/posts/falsehoods-programmers-believe-a...

How easy? Are the offices open outside 9-5? Are they in areas easily accessible to everyone or only in the major cities?

Huh? The state I live in doesn't issue legal ID, nor do multiple other states surrounding us. You can get an ID card or drivers license, but they aren't federally recognized/usable.

The TSA will let you fly without ID if you answer a few questions to confirm your identity: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

Well, and conduct a very thorough screening.

I was pleasantly surprised when I managed to lose my driver's license somewhere in the 50 yards between the car and the airport door that I was actually able to fly. But they did really screen me. The hotel on the other end was more of a problem...

> Huh? The state I live in doesn't issue legal ID, nor do multiple other states surrounding us.

What does this mean? Do you mean RealID? States run elections so I’m not sure why this matters.

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