The core concept is that ID looks varied so much throughout the country that really nobody could tell the difference between a real and fake ID from 3 states over. Get them all to look basically the same and a TSA agent in NYC can tell that’s a fake AZ ID (I’ll pick on us because they were terrible, still laminated, good until you turned 65 with the same photo until they expired, they looked fake, we fixed it). That’s the theory anyway. Of course 12years 1/5 of the states still can’t manage to comply there goes the theory. It’s taken this long because so many states stay out of compliance, government, can’t even redesign IDs efficiently.
Sad state of affairs in my opinion. We passed this law because of foreign terrorists, and we decided that we would force Americans to have this supposedly superior ID. Americans are forced to do something in response to what foreigners did. As if the ID Americans carry somehow deters Muslim foreign terrorists.
My memory is that Oklahoma has declined primarily because the RealID law requires linking all driver’s info on a database with all other states and the federal government (among other privacy data). Oklahoma now offers two forms of driver’s licenses - one without linkage, and one where the driver consents to linking. Also, I note that an address is required under the law. Addresses do not appear on my passport. So the obvious question becomes, why do they need my address to fly?
Looks like an interesting Fall for the do nothing Congress.
Gwjack
Yep and MD isn’t on the list for air travel but still a problem with bars in other states (up until 2015 or so) for proper ID.