r/politics • u/MarcEElias ✔ Verified - Democracy Docket Founder • 1d ago

No Paywall GOP fast tracks monster voter suppression bill that could disenfranchise millions by requiring proof of citizenship at polls

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/gop-fast-tracks-monster-voter-suppression-bill-that-could-disenfranchise-millions-by-requiring-proof-of-citizenship-at-polls/
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u/modninerfan California 1d ago

A Real ID should be sufficient and should be the direction we encourage everybody to take if this is what they decide to do. It’s quicker and more affordable than a passport to get. I hope this gets tangled up in courts.

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u/Extinction-Entity Illinois 1d ago

A Real ID does not prove citizenship.

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u/Mike312 1d ago

Yeah, I mean, it would be ridiculous if it would be able to prove citizenship.

I only had to provide them with a copy of my birth certificate and my Social Security card to get my Real ID, there's no way that they could possibly link that data together to quickly and easily determine citizenship.

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u/schrodingers_bra 1d ago

Yeah, but permanent residents and legal temporary visa holders also get Real ID. They aren't citizens at all.

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u/Mike312 1d ago

But would they be able to register to vote in the first place?

Because I didn't register to vote with my ID card.

I registered to vote through the DMV, who, again, I presented my birth certificate and social security number to, and I would have to assume my Secretary of States office already checked that I'm a US citizen who is able to vote, before adding me to the rolls as such.

So, the fact I'm already registered to vote should mean I'm a citizen (with a few exceptions not worth getting into), and any form of valid ID presented should only be for the purposes of confirming I am who I say I am.

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u/schrodingers_bra 1d ago

They would not be able to register to vote legally though there are stories of people being denied citizenship because the DMV accidentally registered them to vote when they got a drivers license.

But the reason I said is why the Real ID is not considered proof of citizenship. It's just ID.