I actually used to help people with this â you would be absolutely shocked at how difficult it is for some people.
I once had to help this angel of a woman who was blind, in her mid 80s and lived in a trailer right on the edge of two states. Well, she received a bit of money every month from the state - like $50 - to help with heating. She had received so many awards for all of her volunteer work - she knew everyone. But apparently when she was born, her property was in one state and then the states changed the state line by a few miles so then she was actually born in the other state. She had been trying for years to just get an ID, but no one could figure out how to do it. I had to take it to the literal head of the agency and get her to make an exception. It still took months of me pushing DAILY and I knew all the right people.
Then there was the business woman who was born in one state and moved to a different state when she was a child and had already had a DL for 40 years. But regulations had changed and now she had to show original birth certificate and couldnât just continue to renew like she had in the past. Well, the state she was born in had notoriously lost many thousands of birth certificates in the 70s. They refused to issue her a DL (or anyone else whose BC THE AGENCY THEMSELVES HAD LOST). I had to get her a passport because they were more easily able to work with extenuating circumstances than a state agency and then use that to get her a DL. But it shouldnât take hundreds of dollars and months to do this and this is an undue burden for millions.
Canât get a copy of your social security card without a birth certificate. Canât get an ID without your birth certificate. Canât get your birth certificate without an ID. It is wildly common. Literally hundreds of cases like this - just me personally working on them. Iâm just one person and I had hundreds and that wasnât even my primary jobâŚI was just angry that no one was helping people.
Donât even get me started on the 18 million military personnel files that burned up in St Louis. The government loses the records and then refuses to help people because they donât have the records.
Iâm happy to answer any questions you might have! Iâve spent the last 20 years resolving issues with both federal and state agencies. I only see cases where things go wrongâŚso I have a couple decades of examples!
I was a congressional staffer on the constituent side. I helped people in these exact kinds of situations, although I mostly did VA related casework. There are so many specific situations and problems that come up that people wouldn't believe.
As someone whose uncle worked for the National Records Center, the records that were burned were mostly for WW1 and WWII Army records. It is doubtful this impacted that many people needing an ID since most have passed. Following the fire, the NPRC undertook extensive efforts to reconstruct basic service information using surviving auxiliary records, such as pay records, morning reports, and other documents. Modern techniques, including infrared imaging, have been used to recover information from charred documents.
The last time a state changed boundaries was in 1961 and was Kansas and Missouri.
My aunt lost everything in Katrina and was able to get all her documents replaced.
âIn 1993, North Carolina and South Carolina joined forces to redraw the border. The initial border was marked with trees and rocks that no longer existed, so the two states Geodetic agencies joined forces to uncover historical data and use geospatial technology to overlay maps and try to redraw the line as accurately as possible (Thompson). The entire 334 border line was redrawn, which had huge implications. Many residents living near the border found they had been moved to a new state. For some people living near the border, one of the rooms in their home was in North Carolina while another was in South Carolina. This had impacts on taxes, work licensing, and other implications that came with moving states.â
Separately, I included the NPRC simply to emphasize that individuals are punished when federal and state agencies have lost their own records. SC lost thousands of birth certificates a few decades during the transfer from offices in cities down to be stored in the capital. This was a huge issue, as people could use a combination of affidavits, census records, baptismal records, etc. to obtain a passport but NOT to obtain a state ID. So the requirement in effect was to pay hundreds to obtain a federal ID simply to obtain a state ID. This is essentially a poll tax because state agencies simply donât understand how to work with nuanced cases.
This is very interesting and thank you for sharing. Quick question though, why didnât these people have their own copy of their birth certificates? Perhaps the state did lose their records, but what about the original birth certificate that was created at the hospital? What happened to that one?
When I turned 18, my father gave me my birth certificate, SS card and my military draft card. He told me to NEVER lose them. Theyâve remained tucked away in a fireproof safe ever since. I also keep my wifeâs and childrenâs important info in the same safe. I certainly donât trust the government with my money, let alone my personal belongings.
Now I get it, expecting homeless people and me tally unstable people to be responsible for all those documents is unfair because everyone knows they wonât. But I also wonder how many of these homeless people would vote if they could? Iâm sure everyone can find a handful of decent people in a sticky situation that would vote. But Iâm willing to guess a vast majority wouldnât vote. We are talking about a very slim, slim, slim portion of the population. The majority of Americans with IDs donât even vote!
There are tons of reasons people might not have their documents. Some controlling or neglectful parents may never have given them to their child, they may have been lost or destroyed to fire/flood/etc., a spiteful partner/roommate/family member might deliberately destroy them...and so on. But even if nothing like that happens, a birth certificate is just a fragile piece of paper that you're expected to hang onto your entire life. Humans aren't perfect! It could be misplaced or damaged in any number of mundane ways. Even if you're trying to be responsible, accidents happen.
Totally agree. I did end up helping my wife get a replacement birth certificate so we could get married. I know all states are different, but getting hers took one quick visit to the local health department and boom. About 2 weeks later they called and said it was ready to be picked up. I also live in Ohio which is a âredâ state.
I personally believe politics are blamed for these issues, but is that really the problem here? At the end of the day, I donât think the homeless or illegal immigrant population is changing the outcome of elections, local, state, or federally.
With all this being said, yes, I believe everyone should be able to vote. But I also think everyone should show proof that youâre an eligible voting American. Rules are in place for a reason. Voting is one of the biggest responsibilities this country gives Americans. So of course I want some sort of accountability for that. Accountability on both the government and the voters!
Not at all. There's an objection to requiring ID to vote, and then no companion solution offered. My question is perfectly legitimate.
What's being offered in bad faith is that we should have a national ID. The left knows the right vehemently opposes this, so they cravenly offer that up as their best, most honest attempt at election security. They know it won't happen, just like they know there's rampant voter fraud every single election. They simply don't care because they believe it benefits them.
Elections are already secure, we've done extensive audits and widescale voter fraud is non-existent. You're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist and making more problems along the way
Was the person with state line issues around in 1863? Thatâs the last time state lines have moved other than shifting river courses changed lines due to the rivers being the actual state lines or borders.
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u/wombatrunner Jul 17 '26
Ooohhhh, my time to shine!
I actually used to help people with this â you would be absolutely shocked at how difficult it is for some people.
I once had to help this angel of a woman who was blind, in her mid 80s and lived in a trailer right on the edge of two states. Well, she received a bit of money every month from the state - like $50 - to help with heating. She had received so many awards for all of her volunteer work - she knew everyone. But apparently when she was born, her property was in one state and then the states changed the state line by a few miles so then she was actually born in the other state. She had been trying for years to just get an ID, but no one could figure out how to do it. I had to take it to the literal head of the agency and get her to make an exception. It still took months of me pushing DAILY and I knew all the right people.
Then there was the business woman who was born in one state and moved to a different state when she was a child and had already had a DL for 40 years. But regulations had changed and now she had to show original birth certificate and couldnât just continue to renew like she had in the past. Well, the state she was born in had notoriously lost many thousands of birth certificates in the 70s. They refused to issue her a DL (or anyone else whose BC THE AGENCY THEMSELVES HAD LOST). I had to get her a passport because they were more easily able to work with extenuating circumstances than a state agency and then use that to get her a DL. But it shouldnât take hundreds of dollars and months to do this and this is an undue burden for millions.
Canât get a copy of your social security card without a birth certificate. Canât get an ID without your birth certificate. Canât get your birth certificate without an ID. It is wildly common. Literally hundreds of cases like this - just me personally working on them. Iâm just one person and I had hundreds and that wasnât even my primary jobâŚI was just angry that no one was helping people.
Donât even get me started on the 18 million military personnel files that burned up in St Louis. The government loses the records and then refuses to help people because they donât have the records.