California, Arizona use of SSN only as Id for Drivers Licenses

Fox News ^ | Oct,16,2003 | Matt Hayes

[Legerdemain]

One of the underreported stories to come out of the California recall election was the fact that Gray Davis' signing of the illegal alien driver's license bill actually mobilized votes against him.

A poll commissioned by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (search) and conducted by Luntz Research showed that nearly one-third of those who voted in last Tuesday’s recall said they were influenced to vote for Gov. Gray Davis’ removal by his decision to grant driver’s licenses to illegal aliens (search). Thirty percent of voters said that Davis’ approval of the driver’s license bill influenced them to support his recall, while only 8 percent said it made them more likely to oppose removing him from office.

Though the proposed California law, now consigned to the trash can with the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger, was arguably the least safe driver's license law in the country, other governors spoke admiringly of the law -- albeit before the votes in California had been counted.

In September, Janet Napolitano, governor of Arizona (search), said that if the state's Legislature presented her with a bill identical to the California bill, she would sign it. That is to say, if she were to be presented a bill that stripped identification requirements to use of an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, she would let it become law. Arizona is one of several states that are being driven into bankruptcy in large part by unreimbursed medical costs, as well as other forms of public assistance, associated with the treatment of illegal aliens

Proponents of laws that would give driver's licenses to illegal aliens usually sum up their arguments like this: "Illegal aliens are driving without licenses right now, so let's test them and grant those who pass the road test a driver's license."

Does this mean that those illegal aliens who don't pass the road test will suddenly

[Legerdemain]

So, The Govenor of Arizona want to use a Taxpayer Identificaton Number as the Identification for a Drivers License as California does. This is a tricky little title (Taxpayer Identification Number) for your Social Security Number.

If I remember correctly, The Social Security Office states that this number is not to be used as ID.

My question is, why are not the true conservatives up in arms over the mandantory use of SSN for a drivers license. The State I live in does not use the Social Security Number, and many states you can opt out of a Social Security Number being present on your DL.

I would never give my SSN for a Drivers License. The reasons? First, I will not be a single number to my government. This makes an abuse of my Constitutional Rights easier for a corrupt government.

Secondly, the more pressing matter at hand of using the Social Security Number on a Drivers License is the availability of Identity Theft. Think about it. You lose your wallet, or you use your drivers licesne as ID at a store. All the information I need to steal your identity is now present and ripe to be stolen.

I do choose to give my SSN out to certain businesses, and unfortunately, Due to federal law, I have to give it to my bank, broker, ect. However, I do not need the State to have it for a drivers license.

Thirdly, Is the State going to search to make sure that the number matches at least the name before issuing a drivers license. I was in the financial business for many years and it was amazing how many criminals tried to use a SSN number that was not tied to the name they used.

An attack by Californian's as well as the citizens of other state that are facing these new easier Driver's Licenses, should be using the SSN angle in their fight.

BTW, if your State has your SSN on your drivers license, ask for a people number instead.

[So Cal Rocket]

In California, the SSN does not appear on the DL.

[gubamyster]

ping

[sgtbono2002]

Gray Davis was folowing in the foot steps of his god , Bubba, Signing all those things he couldnt get away with signing when he had a legitimate chance of staying Governor.

[Legerdemain]

A friend of mine recently applied for a California DL and was asked for his SSN....Does CA use the magnetic strip on the back of the DL? If so it is embedded there...

[Migraine]

My Social Security card is old enough to say clearly and large, at the bottom: "NOT TO BE USED FOR PURPOSES OF IDENTIFICATION". I think that was placed into the law back in the '30s to placate those who feared a single numbering system to check up on the people more easily.
For that reason, when they first started trying to get us to list our soc.# as our drivers license# in Arizona, back in the 70s, I refused. So I have a weird drivers license# to this day.

[MineralMan]

The SS# will not appear on your DL in California. They're talking about showing it to apply for your DL, not to put it on the DL.

No SS#, no DL. Works for me, as long as it doesn't appear on the license, and there's no way they're going to do that.

[Slip18]

I'm looking at my AZ DL right now. There is no SS number on it anywhere.

[Moose4]

Is Virginia still using the SSN as the driver's license number? They did for the entire time I held a license there (1982-97). In fact, when I moved down here to South Carolina, I was surprised when I got a separate DL number and had to put it on my checks.

}:-)4

[discostu]

For a while there I know we had the option of different number or SSN. Of course now that our DLs are good until we're senile old coots any change to the DL is kind of meaningless.

[halfdome]

Gray Davis was also following in the footsteps of at least ten other states that allow illegal immigrants to get drivers licenses. California is certainly not the first state to allow this. I don't know why there wasn't a huge deal made of it before.

[Travis Bickel/Marine Inspector]

Arizona only uses the SSN at the request of the applicant.

The Applicant can choose a random number or his SSN.

[DoctorZIn]

This post has been added to the… California In Transition- Must read Threads!

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[jpl]

Is Virginia still using the SSN as the driver's license number?

Yes.

[Wayne07]

You have to provide a SSN to get a driver's license in CA, there is no way around it. No SSN, no license. It does not appear on the licese though. It has been this way since the early 1990's.

This brings up thequestion though, if you are an illegal alien, and you are now allowed to get a license, how do you provide an SSN? Is there an implicit assumption that they will provide fraudulent numebrs?

[A Navy Vet]

"Thirty percent of voters said that Davis’ approval of the driver’s license bill influenced them to support his recall,..."

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!! Idiot!! Is there ANY wonder he was kicked out?

[narby]

I think that pretty soon, if we really want to solve the immigration problem for good, we're going to have to swallow a national ID card, and submit to having to show it at some very strictly limited times.

There's just no way we can expect that we can just go around ID-less, and still expect that we can prevent people from sneaking across the border for jobs, or genuine nefarious purposes.

I hate it. I'd lothe the "papers please" crap. But if we're serious about getting rid of illegals, then there it is.

Flame away....

[Saundra Duffy]

Add Hawaii! The whole time I lived on the Big Island, every time I showed my driver's license, there was my SSN for the whole world to see!

[Yeti]

Here in SC, when I went to get my DL, I had to show a SS card AND a birth certificate for ID.

Cool nick, BTW. Gimme a quarter.

[July 4th]

So basically, if someone snags your wallet, you're screwed? Here at Wisconsin, they had the bright idea to use your SSN for your student ID number. They changed that about 5 or 6 years ago, but I still have an old number. I leave my ID at home.