Identity documents in the United States are typically the regional state-issued driver’s license or identity card, while also the Social Security card (or just the Social Security number) and the United States Passport Card may serve as national identification. The United States passport itself also may serve as identification. However there is no official “national identity card” in the United States, in the sense that there is no federal agency with nationwide jurisdiction that directly issues an identity document to all US citizens for mandatory regular use.
There have been proposals to nationalize ID cards, as currently citizens are identified by a patchwork of documents issued by both the federal government as well as individual state and local governments.
It is both a political issue and a practical one, and the idea of federalism is cited as supporting federated (regional) identification. All legislative attempts to create a national identity card have failed due to tenacious opposition from liberal and conservative politicians alike, who regard the national identity card as the mark of a totalitarian society.[1]
The most common national photo identity documents are the passport and passport card, which are issued by the U.S. Department of State to U.S. nationals only upon voluntary application. Issuance of these documents is discretionary – that is, for various reasons, the State Department can refuse an application for a passport or passport card.
More recently, various trusted traveler programs have been opened to the public in the United States, including TSA Precheck, Sentri, Nexus, FAST (Free and Secure Trade), and Global Entry. With the exception of TSA Precheck, which provides a unique “Known Traveler Number,” these programs provide photo IDs issued by the Department of Homeland Security and are considered national photo IDs.
The driver’s license, which is issued by each individual state, operates as the de facto national identity card due to the ubiquity of driving in the United States. Each state also issues a non-driver state identity card which fulfills the same identification functions as the driver’s license, but does not permit the operation of a motor vehicle.
Social Security cards have federal jurisdiction but cannot verify identity. They verify only the match between a given name and a Social Security Number (SSN) and were intended only for use in complying with Social Security payroll tax laws. They now are used in a wider scope of activities, such as for obtaining credit and other regulated financial services in banking and investments.
Identification Cards
A driver’s license is issued by each state’s DMV, which is required to drive.[6] Each state’s DMV can also issue a state identification card. It does not contain any endorsements to operate vehicles and can be used as official identification where asked for or needed.
In addition to verifying driving privileges, drivers’ licenses are used to purchase automobile insurance or during a police traffic stop and serve as the primary form of identity for American adults. They are widely used by both government entities and private businesses to verify identity or age, such as in entering secure government facilities, boarding a commercial airliner, business transactions, or in the purchase of age-restricted items such as alcoholic beverages or cigarettes.
Drivers’ licenses issued in any state are recognized as valid identity documents in all other states under a variety of legal principles like comity and the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution. However, if a person permanently moves to another state as a resident, state laws usually give a period of time, such as 60 days, in which a person must surrender his out-of-state license for the license of his new home state.
Driver’s licenses include a gender marker, typically either “M” or “F”. This has been changing in the early 21st century. As of September 2019, at least 14 states and the District of Columbia offer a third, gender-neutral option beyond “male” and “female”[7] to serve people with nonbinary gender identities
You may think that if an autistic individual doesn’t drive that they don’t need a Government Issued ID?WRONG!A goverment-issued Identification Card is required to complete and even purchase many things as a adult that you may think.It verifies who we are.Where we Live.How Old We are and when we were born.How tall we are and in some jurisdictions how much we weighWhat color our eyes areAnd while all these things are nice to know, this simple card that uses the power of technology for verification purposes is the segway for an indivual to verify themselves so they can receive services, purchase items they need and sometimes hold as a deposit when renting something at a park. It is also used for verification for payroll purposes if you are employed to verify your employment.It is more that the picture. It verifies that the person that is being indentified is truly that person.And as such, you cannot essentially live nowadays without one. Yes, they cost as much as keeping a driver’s license active, but it is worth doing so. You need this to do anythhing where verificatiuon of identification is requried.Most national chains have technology in their cash register systems to verify the age of oneself so they can sell you something that is intended for adults. Many times, they are not profiling you, it is often a compamy policy and requirement to scan this card for the item is added to the cash register.Many medical offices require a photo identification to join their practice as do many services when you app;y for them. Housing too needs to verify that you are indeed the person who you are.
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