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by kwyjibo1230 1348 days ago
Thanks for this. It makes clear the series of cyclical complications that follows "I don't have an ID and need one, but I don't have a smartphone or credit card"

1) Don't have an ID, just provide your birth certificate. Oh wait... that wasn't issued to me

2) Well I can try to order my birth certificate mailed to me. Oh wait... I don't have easy internet access, no smartphone or internet at my house.

3) I got online at the library, time to order my birth certificate. Oh wait... I don't have a credit card to pay. Maybe my birth county lets me mail cash (risky), or maybe they require me to show up in person, and potentially spend $100s on travel, in addition to missing work.

4) Okay, I go to apply for a credit card or open a bank account to pay. Oh wait... I need an ID.

Rinse and repeat
2 comments
nine_zeros 1348 days ago
This is it. The cycle of ID. To top it off, good luck getting the spelling of your name corrected in your birth certificate if it doesn't match other legal documents, such as school records.
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bombcar 1348 days ago
It was easier back before the mass electrification of everything, because if the local sheriff knew who you were they could vouch to the local DMV and you’d be good to go. Now everything is fraud proof and trickier.

And if you lose your birth certificate you may have to start all over again!

There are ways to get an ID via other methods and then build up but it can be tricky and difficult to navigate. And without a stable address it can be nearly impossible.

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scarface74 1347 days ago
> because if the local sheriff knew who you were they could vouch to the local DMV and you’d be good to go.

This was never the case in any large city.

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phil21 1347 days ago
> This was never the case in any large city.

It is (was?) the case in my large (500k+) city in the 90's at least. If you were lacking all forms of identification to get an ID, you could use a neighbor or family member who had an ID to vouch for you.

I do believe it was the vouch + another form of identification, but I distinctly recall having to do this for a replacement ID when I couldn't find my papers after a move.

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