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Deep Dive: Real ID

🗳️ Deep Dive: Real ID, Voter Verification, and Election Security

🏛️ SEAL SD Examines Real ID’s Role in Secure Voting

At SealSD.com, we’re focused on ensuring the Core GRT Plan—part of the Maximum Liberty Plan (Plan 2)—passes through a secure election in November 2026. This plan replaces all state taxes with a single 5% Gross Receipts Tax (GRT), generating $3.6 billion and saving you $3,000–$5,000 annually by eliminating property taxes, requiring 35,017 signatures by May 5, 2026, to make the ballot (Page 14: Constitutional Amendment). The Real ID Act, a federal law passed in 2005, is being rolled out to secure areas like air travel and federal facilities, but its role in in-person voting and verifying citizenship is a topic of debate. This page explores how Real ID functions, its rollout, whether it verifies citizenship for voting, and how it intersects with election security for the Core GRT Plan, building on our prior discussions of election integrity (Page 35: Election Integrity and the Core GRT Plan) and blockchain voting (Page 40: Deep Dive: Blockchain Voting Systems for Secure Elections).

🔍 What Is Real ID? A Federal Security Standard

The Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005 following the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, establishes federal standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards to enhance security (Web ID: 1, Web ID: 14). It’s a “real thing” being rolled out to secure various areas, but its role in voting is nuanced:

  • Purpose and Rollout: Real ID requires states to verify identity, Social Security number, and lawful status (citizen or legal resident) when issuing compliant IDs, marked with a star (Web ID: 1, Web ID: 4). As of January 2024, 56% of U.S. IDs were Real ID-compliant, with full enforcement for air travel and federal facility access starting May 7, 2025 (Web ID: 10, Web ID: 17). This rollout aims to secure areas like domestic flights and federal buildings by ensuring IDs meet federal standards (Web ID: 14).
  • Verification Process: To obtain a Real ID, you must provide documents proving identity (e.g., U.S. passport, birth certificate), Social Security number, and residency (e.g., utility bill), often verified through systems like the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) for non-citizens (Web ID: 1, Web ID: 16). However, Real ID issuance verifies lawful status, not necessarily citizenship, as legal residents can also obtain one (Web ID: 17).
  • South Dakota Context: South Dakota issues Real ID-compliant licenses, requiring proof of identity, Social Security number, and residency, but these IDs do not explicitly indicate citizenship unless the state opts for an enhanced version, as some states like Michigan and Washington have done (Web ID: 17).

Analogy for Clarity: Real ID is like a picnic security badge—it checks who you are to enter big picnic gates like airports, but it doesn’t always say if you’re a full picnic member (citizen), just that you’re allowed at the picnic!

🗳️ Real ID and In-Person Voting: Does It Verify Citizenship?

Real ID’s role in in-person voting and verifying citizenship is limited, despite recent legislative efforts like the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which intersects with the Core GRT Plan’s election security needs:

  • Current Voting Requirements: Most states, including South Dakota, require some form of ID for in-person voting, but a Real ID is not required to vote (Web ID: 0, Web ID: 4). South Dakota accepts various IDs, such as a driver’s license, passport, or tribal ID, and if a voter lacks ID, they can often cast a provisional ballot after verifying their identity (Web ID: 0). These IDs don’t need to prove citizenship at the polls—voter registration typically handles that through attestation under penalty of perjury (Web ID: 8).
  • Real ID and Citizenship: Real ID verifies lawful status (citizen or legal resident) during issuance, but most Real IDs do not explicitly indicate citizenship (Web ID: 17). Only five states—Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington—offer enhanced Real IDs that mark citizenship, covering 14% of the U.S. population (Web ID: 17). In South Dakota, a standard Real ID wouldn’t suffice to prove citizenship for voting under stricter proposals like the SAVE Act.
  • SAVE Act Proposal: The SAVE Act, passed by the U.S. House on April 10, 2025, with a 220-208 vote, requires in-person proof of citizenship (e.g., passport, birth certificate) to register to vote in federal elections (Web ID: 5, Web ID: 10). A standard Real ID wouldn’t meet this requirement unless it’s an enhanced version indicating citizenship, meaning most South Dakotans would need additional documents to register under this law (Web ID: 17). The bill faces uncertainty in the Senate due to filibuster challenges (Web ID: 10).
  • Impact on the Core GRT Plan: For the Core GRT Plan’s 2026 ballot initiative, South Dakota’s current voter ID laws allow voting with a standard Real ID or other IDs, but the SAVE Act, if passed, could complicate registration for new voters or those updating records (e.g., after a name change), potentially affecting turnout (Web ID: 5). This underscores the need for secure voting systems, as discussed in our blockchain voting exploration (Page 40: Deep Dive: Blockchain Voting Systems for Secure Elections).

Analogy for Clarity: Voting with a Real ID is like showing a picnic badge to enter the picnic vote tent—it proves who you are, but doesn’t always show if you’re a full picnic member (citizen). The SAVE Act wants a special picnic member card, which might make it harder for some picnic friends to join the picnic vote!

🔐 Real ID’s Broader Rollout: Securing Many Areas

The Real ID Act’s rollout secures various areas beyond voting, enhancing overall security but raising questions about its broader implications for election integrity:

  • Air Travel and Federal Facilities: Starting May 7, 2025, Real ID will be required for domestic flights and access to federal facilities like military bases or courthouses (Web ID: 1, Web ID: 14). This rollout aims to prevent fraud and enhance national security, a goal echoed in election integrity efforts (Page 35: Election Integrity and the Core GRT Plan).
  • Challenges and Accessibility: The rollout has faced delays, with only 56% of U.S. IDs compliant by January 2024 due to high demand and accessibility issues (Web ID: 10, Web ID: 17). Rural South Dakotans, like those in Pennington County, may face challenges traveling to DMV offices for Real ID issuance, mirroring voter access concerns under the SAVE Act (Web ID: 5).
  • Potential for Election Security: While Real ID isn’t designed to verify citizenship for voting, its framework for secure identity verification could inspire election security measures, such as integrating citizenship data into voter registration systems, as some states have done with the SAVE database (Web ID: 6). However, this requires careful implementation to avoid disenfranchising eligible voters, as seen in past voter ID laws (Web ID: 8).

Analogy for Clarity: Real ID’s rollout is like adding picnic security gates to big picnic areas—it keeps picnic flyers safe and picnic buildings secure, but some picnic friends in faraway picnic towns might struggle to get their picnic badges, just like with picnic voting rules!

💡 Why It Matters: Secure Voting for Tax Freedom

Real ID is a real thing, actively being rolled out to secure areas like air travel and federal facilities, but its role in in-person voting and verifying citizenship is limited unless enhanced to indicate citizenship, as only a few states have done (Web ID: 17). The SAVE Act’s push for in-person proof of citizenship could impact voter registration for the Core GRT Plan’s 2026 ballot initiative, potentially affecting turnout if not paired with accessible solutions (Web ID: 5). While Real ID enhances general security, it’s not a complete solution for election integrity—blockchain voting systems offer a more robust, transparent alternative to ensure truly secure voting, as we’ve explored (Page 40: Deep Dive: Blockchain Voting Systems for Secure Elections). Secure voting, whether through Real ID, enhanced verification, or blockchain, is critical to protect your vote for the Core GRT Plan, saving $3,000–$5,000 annually and reducing government overreach, ensuring your voice is heard in a fair, trusted election (Page 35: Election Integrity and the Core GRT Plan).

Analogy for Clarity: Real ID is a picnic badge that keeps picnic flyers safe, but it’s not enough to prove you’re a full picnic member for voting—the SAVE Act wants a special picnic card, which might trip up some picnic friends, so we need a picnic blockchain vote to make sure every picnic vote for a free picnic counts, fair and square!

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