Thread by @mcpli

This is one of those things that seems easier than it is. Some of the issues in this thread 🧵 1/

https://twitter.com/jamessurowiecki/status/1376545221769621518

First, to get a Georgia ID you have to bring in your birth certificate (you can also bring in a passport, but most of the folks currently without IDs won’t have one of those). For people born out of state, that means contacting your birth state and paying a fee. 2/

That’s fairly easy to do if you are tech savvy enough to be online and have a credit card to pay the fee. Fees vary but in Michigan, it’s $34 and in Massachusetts, $32. Folks without IDs will need help with all these things. 3/

Then there are the people who don’t have birth certificates. Lots of older people were born at home and don’t. 4/

But wait, that’s not all. If your name has changed since birth (say, because you changed your name at marriage), you also have to bring in documents proving the name change. Which can mean having to get your marriage certificate from a gov office if you don’t have it handy. 5/

You also have to bring in your social security card - which might mean having to get that from the Social Security Administration. (You can also bring in a W-2 or paystub *if* it has your full SSN - mine, for instance, does not.) 6/

Then you have to bring in two proofs of Georgia residency. This can be a utility bill (assuming the bill is in your name), postmarked mail within the 6 months (can’t be to a P.O. Box). This part is generally easiest for people to meet but some people will have trouble. 7/

Some people, for example, live with someone else and don’t have leases, mortgages, bills in their names. Other people, to the extent they get mail, use a nickname - and, of course, the name on the mail has to match your legal name. 8/

Which is not to say it is impossible to get ID in the hands of people without it, but it is a lot more logistically challenging than often assumed. 9/

Oh, I’ll add one thing about getting a replacement social security card. You can only apply for one online if you have a state-issued ID. People who don’t, have to mail in a form (with documentary proof of identity) or bring it into a Social Security office. 10/

Also this: Going to the DMV isn’t easy in many states. Historically not too bad in NYS (in my experience) but many places have long waits - even worse since the pandemic. 11/

https://twitter.com/tanvim/status/1376600996638564365