How many can locate their birth certificate in order to vote?

[kentuck]

How many do not have a passport?

The Republicans are being pressured relentlessly to pass the "Save America" act that would require a birth certificate or a passport as identification to vote.

How many millions would that exclude.

Personally, I do not have a passport and I have no idea where my birth certificate might be?

I usually mail-in my ballot and I have never had a problem with it.

But, the "Save America" act would also outlaw mail-in ballots.

Republicans are pretending that they do not want to overturn the filibuster rule in order to pass this bill for Trump and themselves. They do all right with the system as it is. Why would they want to change it? They won the House, the Senate, and the White House in the last election. Where was the fraud?

These are dangerous games these Republicons are playing.

[Tim S]

1. Who will be training poll workers how to authenticate birth certificates?

Especially out of state certificates from other eras?

[Kaleva]

61. Need the birth certificate to register to vote

“Update: When this article was first published, the SAVE America Act included a provision that would have also required voters to show documents such as a passport or birth certificate at the polls every time they vote. The bill has since been amended in the House to replace that requirement with a directive that states regularly submit their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security, as well as a restrictive photo ID requirement for voting“

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-save-act-bills-would-still-block-millions-americans-voting

[ProfessorGAC]

2. We Have Our BCs

We got copies we needed for a few things when we retired.
Marriage certificate, too.
But, I don't know how common it is for people to be in this position.
I'm guessing it's kind of rare.

[redstatebluegirl]

55. When all this nonsense started

I found all of my documents, my birth certificate divorce decree, marriage license and paid the money to get a passport. Mine had expired so I needed a new one.Thankfully we could afford it.

I plan to take a folder full of stuff with me in November. I dare them to keep me from voting after 52 years of voting with no issue. Someone may need to post bail if they try to keep me from voting.

[ProfessorGAC]

56. My Passport Expired

After having it for 45 years, I just let it go.
I retired to quit traveling, so I figure I'll never need it.
But, we've got the BC & MC, so we're covered.
My wife needs a new driver's license.
We'll take all that stuff & probably get her a real ID.

[redstatebluegirl]

57. Please get her a real id!

[Ms. Toad]

94. Real ID does not prove citizenship,

Aside from 5 (IIRC) border states.

[Bettie]

100. And yet, to get a Real ID

one has to show the same documentation as to get a passport.

But the passport costs more so they want everyone to have to pay that poll tax.

[Ms. Toad]

108. No. Citizenship isn't required to get a RealID.

It is required to get a passport, except b for a fee individuals who are US Nationals, but not citizens, and that status is printed on the passport

Because non-citizens can get a RealID, and citizenship status is not marked on the document, it proves identity, but not citizenship.

(It requires similar documentation, even more, in some cases, but because they weren't requiring citizenship to get the ID, and it isn't marked on the ID, there is no way to reverse engineer the ID to show citizenship, without requiring the same acquisition process all over again.)

[Bettie]

109. No, it isn't

but the same documentation was required for my passport, which I'm glad I have, though I recognize that I have immense privilege in that I had the time and money to deal with it.

[Ms. Toad]

110. I was explaining why they can't use RealID for voter registration/reregistration under the Save Act -

Since many people, incorrectly, believe that the RealID proves citizenship.

[Bettie]

114. The weird part is that the rules vary from state to state

so, in a very few states (Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, New York, and Washington) do have citizenship on Real IDs.

The whole thing is an exercise in the usual right wing fuckery, aimed at keeping people from voting, because if fewer people vote, they win.

[Ms. Toad]

117. I said that in the first post you responded to.

Proving ID is a minimum - it is border states, where residents go back and forth to Canada where they have chosen to also verify citizenship.

[lostnfound]

118. Those are 'Enhanced ID'. In New York at least, they cost $30 more than Real ID; and both are still being issued

https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/enhanced-or-real-id

Reporting on the SAVE act has been unsurprisingly deficient in details.
The bill itself is unsurprisingly full of ‘gotchas!’
States are passing their own, even if federal bill doesn’t pass.
Some birth certificates — such as those issued by hospital — won’t be accepted.
I’d read that a marriage certificate may not be adequate for proving the name change.

[ProfessorGAC]

106. It Was A Tangential Point

Just rambling a bit.

[UpInArms]

101. Only 5 states have a real id that certifies citizenship

And if your wife took your name, basically, a passport is the only document that will prove her citizenship

[underpants]

3. I had to get a recertified one from Ohio last year

For my passport. The State Department wouldn’t accept the copy of the original that I’d had for ….well…my whole life.

I think it was $22 per copy and it took two weeks.

[Tim S]

5. New York State took 6 months & cost over $70

[underpants]

17. Yeah I knew someone who discovered his name was misspelled

Born in NYC. None had ever noticed it before. It took him months and lots of time on the phone.

[tonkatoy8888]

35. You got off lucky with that price

I had to get a new birth certificate when I couldn't find the one I'd had my entire adult life.

Delaware, my birth state, has outsourced their vital statistics office, so I paid the private company more than $100 for the replacement. Also, I had to resubmit the form over 20 times because my signature, which I was writing with my fingernail on my cellphone, did not "match" my signature on my license/state identification card.

It was a hassle, but you have to ask, how many who may vote sporadically and who are now motivated to vote will, when faced with a fee in the neighborhood of $100 and the attendant headaches, will just say, "fuck it...maybe next time"?

[underpants]

41. Yes they will. Funny I haven't heard that discussed much

mostly it’s been about people (women especially) who move to another state. Letting your voting lapse would have the same effect.

[Ms. Toad]

95. That would be an issue for me.

Every time I vote, I have to remember how I wrote 36 years ago when I signed the voter registration card - because my current signature bears no resemblance to that signature. I've been challenged on it a few times - and each time they tell me that I need to re-register with my current signature.

The problem with that is that my current signature is not consistent. I couldn't write it the same way twice if I tried. So for signature matches - I have to use my decades old signature. I'd be in trouble if my driver's license signature was used for the match.

But - under the SAVE act, you'd have to prove your citizenship if you moved across the street, because that would require you to re-register. Anytime you re-register you have to prove your citizenship.

[Attilatheblond]

4. And those of us women who grew up with the tradition of taking husband's surname are gonna have to fight to vote

[quaint]

29. And if you married more than once it's even more of a battle.

I have two dead husbands.

[Attilatheblond]

58. Took first husband's surname because that was the general rule way back then

Didn't find out it wasn't 'a law' until a few years after we married and I would not have taken his name if I had known better. Funny thing is, the surname he has used since about age 9 is NOT his birth name, but step-father's name, and he was never adopted by that man. But I guess nobody will challenge HIS voting rights because white and male.

My dear second husband suggested I not change my surname to his, so late in my life. He laughed and said, it would confuse the government and that was a bad idea so near the time of getting Social Security. Since he worked for a government agency, he had some experience with governmental SNAFUs.

But my daughter, who never liked her surname (first husband who turned into a real ass) actually did go to court to formally change her last name to my second husband's name, as she was of an age and experience to REALLY appreciate the man he was.

The dog goes by my surname and the cat goes by my late second husband's name. Records are weird things.

[Squaredeal]

105. My first wife kept her family name.

She only moved to my state as an adult. “How would my friends find me?”, she asked. Later, when she started a high school reunion organization, her biggest problem was locating her married female high school classmates, who were scattered over the country, having only been temporarily together as children of military parents from throughout the U.S.
I suggested to my current wife that she not change her name of her former husband. “Why make issues for yourself with Social Security and identity at this time in your life?”, I said. Later, after reading about the necessity of having a Real ID to possibly vote as a woman whose name doesn’t match her birth certificate and our state deadline to apply for it, she did. Now, she had a problem with her ex’s name . Being a “Saint”, some of her documents show a space between the prefix St. and the rest of the name, while others combine the St with the rest of the name. That raised a red flag, requiring more documentation to settle it.
I think that the underlying purpose of requiring a “real” identification is to create turmoil at the polls so that there’s long lines to discourage voting. Prohibiting mail-in voting just adds more voters to those lines. Then there’s the issue of states purging their voter lists so that to reregister, all those identity requirements come into play. Having the post office now delaying date stamping those allowed mail-in ballots until they reach a designated regional distribution PO would invalidate many of those allowed “last minute” votes. Voter lists show the party identification so it’s also easy to challenge those voters of the party not in power to keep them from voting.
It’s a known fact that in midterm elections the incumbency is at risk of becoming the minority as more disgruntled citizens come out to vote.

[Ritabert]

6. I renewed my passport last year.

I have my birth and marriage certificates in a safe deposit box. I had to show both to get a Real ID driver's license.

[get the red out]

7. I know where my bc is

as well as my passport, but I only have the former because I had to order a new official copy in order to get the latter, so that I might be able to visit someone close to me that left the country for Europe last summer. Of course with all that is going on, I think that will be a while.

[EarthAbides]

8. Would I still have to get a passport to vote?

I recently got my certified copy of my birth certificate and a copy of my marriage license in order to get my driver's license renewed and to get an enhanced ID for flying. I always tell young women, "DO NOT CHANGE YOUR NAME WHEN YOU GET MARRIED!"

[pnwmom]

47. If you have an Enhanced ID with a flag -- not a regular REAL ID with a star --

then you do have an ID that proves citizenship, so you shouldn't need your passport.

[bamagal62]

63. That's what I've told my daughter.

Do not change your name!
I have a passport. I also have an “official copy” of my birth certificate which is an awful
Copy and difficult to read. I guess it’s copied from microfiche. I did go through a bit of a mess once moving to New York with a GA drivers license.
Back in the 90s GA would not let you have 4 names on the drivers license. So, they dropped my maiden name without asking me which one to drop. It was a nightmare because it didn’t match my other documents. I finally got it sorted out. But, it was not fun. This is going to be a cluster of epic proportions if this thing passes.

[doc03]

9. I have both. nt

[usonian]

10. I carry both (or a copy) with me at all times. Even in California.

I have Mediterranean skin color.

The federal government cannot manage nor interfere in state voting. Just ask the Supreme Court.

[quaint]

30. Me too, copies, California, skin.

[usonian]

32. Good luck evading the skin police. And congratulations on hitting the 5000 post milestone.

STAY AWAY FROM HOME DEPOT!!!!

[MineralMan]

12. I have the birth certificate and passport in my lockbox.

Marriage certificate, DD Form 214, Real ID, MN Fishing license, and even my military vaccination records from the late 60s. They are all where I can get them, and safely in a fire resistant metal box. My wife's stuff is in there, too. I have other records, as well, but not as well protected. I also have scans of everything stored on a USB thumb drive. Other docs like a copy of my house deed, all vehicle ownership papers, insurance policies, and other docs are also stored for fast access.

We shouldn't have to have that stuff. But, I have it anyhow. I've used every one of those things at one point or another in my lifetime.

[usonian]

34. California foothills, a "go bag" is part of life.

https://www.readyforwildfire.org/

https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/emergency-supply-kit


Assembling your wildfire-ready kit

Get your emergency supply kit ready well before any wildfire or disaster. Make sure it’s accessible for quick evacuation and prepare for the possibility of being away from home for a while.

Your ‘Go Bag’ should be easy to carry and access. Use backpacks to store items like essentials and personal documents. For food and water, consider a wheeled tub or chest for easier transport. Keep your bag light enough for comfortable lifting into your vehicle.


Emergency kit
Your ‘Go Bag’ checklist

Ensure your wildfire ‘Go Bag’ includes:

A 3-day supply of non-perishable food & 3 gallons of water per person
A map with at least 2 evacuation routes
Necessary prescriptions or medications
A change of clothes & extra eyeglasses/contact lenses
Extra car keys, credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks
A first aid kit & sanitation supplies
A flashlight & battery-powered radio with extra batteries
Copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports, etc.)
Pet food & water

Always have sturdy shoes and a flashlight near your bed, ready for sudden night evacuations.


Additional items if time allows

If time allows, consider adding:

Valuables that are easy to carry
Family photos and irreplaceable items
Personal computer data on hard drives and disks
Chargers for cell phones and laptops

For more information on emergency supplies, visit https://www.ready.gov
Note: DHS website.

[FSogol]

13. In 2019, my dad passed away from Alzheimers. His documentation, DL, birth cert, SS card etc were long missing. My sister

Last edited Fri Mar 20, 2026, 07:19 AM - Edit history (1)

started a long process to get copies. I promised I wouldn't leave that mess to my kids to sort out. I applied for a replacement birth certificate. Then used the new cert and an expired passport to get a replacement SS card. Then I renewed my passport. Everything was done online and via the mail. I mailed in the forms and documents, they mailed everything back. It took a weeks/months, but all ids now in order. I recommend everyone do the same.

[hunter]

91. My grandfather had three different birth dates on his official documents.

One for the Army, one for Social Security and taxes, and one for his California drivers license.

Same day and month, different years.

He also went by a few different first names -- one for family, one for the Army, and one professionally, using inconsistent birth dates.

His original birth certificate, if he ever had one, was lost.

He joined the Army with an affidavit of birth.

It was very Wild West. You judged a man by his character. ( And the color of his skin, and his accent, and maybe his religion too. His religion was "Not Mormon." )

My dad was executor of my grandfather's estate and had a heck of a time getting that all sorted out.

When I was young I rarely carried any identification with me until I met my wife who considered that an unacceptable habit.

I recently had to get a new birth certificate for myself from some private company when I discovered the official stamped certificate I got to marry my wife was no longer considered acceptable for identification purposes.

This modern world kind of sucks.

All this "papers please" shit will be used to disenfranchise people. Or worse.

[2naSalit]

14. ...

[pat_k]

16. My birth certificate name doesn't match the name I've used since I was 4 yrs old.

My step-father never formally adopted my sister and I, but we used his name for everything, including the SS cards my mom signed us up for.

I have to get a legal name change from my birth name to the name I've used for more than 60 years.

[pat_k]

26. My sister got her first passport in the name she always used with just an affidavit from my mom.

When she got married, her marriage certificate had the birth certificate name as the maiden name, even though she had no other identification in that name.

She has since divorced, but somehow that marriage certificate has worked to connect birth cert name to a hyphenated last name (stepfather's-husband's). I've never needed a passport, although I almost needed to travel to Rwanda when my sister was injured there. The embassy guy helping out in the emergency advised that I get a passport in my birth cert name and just ignore all other ID. I suppose I could do that for registering to vote, but it just feels like something would certainly go wrong having a passport in a name that has effectively not existed since 1964, and all other ID in a different name that has existed since 1964.

[Deuxcents]

31. pat_k..your situation is just like mine. I had to get a family lawyer and all my papers together and let a judge

Finally, my birth name, and all information is in the judgement and this cost me, as you can imagine but I’m glad I did it about 9 years ago. I have the original with my Will and Trust and a copy in my glove box in case I’m ever in need of it on the road. I’m a post war baby and back then, all this legal stuff was not even a thought.

[pat_k]

37. Name change by usage is perfectly legal.

... which is why, until recently, just needing an affidavit has long been sufficient for almost all purposes.

Consistently using a new name for all personal and business matters creates a "common law" right to that name, provided it is not for fraudulent purposes.While legal, it is not recognized by all agencies, making it difficult to update official documents like passports.

I actually went through the hassle of a name change in NJ, but screwed up the last step.

There, you had to publish a public notice when you applied, another one when the court certified the application + proof of notice. When I appeared in court, I got what I believed was the order I was seeking. The DMV treated it as such and issued a license (I needed the order to deal with post-9/11 rules changes). I learned that it was not actually a final order when I sent it off to get birth cert reissued.

It turned out, I was supposed to go through yet ANOTHER round of public notice publication, and THEN would get a final order. It was too late to do it and I would have had to start all over (with another round of filing fees, publication fees, etc) I had gotten my license and was pretty broke. I said screw it. I'll deal with it when the need arises again.

Here in Washington state, the name change process is simpler, but the courts have been overwhelmed with people trying to straighten out name mismatches to get Real ID. They only do name changes a couple days a week. You show up with the petition and cash fee and wait around to be heard, which can take all day. I have a little solo dog walking business these days. Of course the days the court does name changes are my busiest days. It is tough to cancel everything so I keep putting it off.

But, I do have to deal with it And soon.

[Deuxcents]

49. If they're gonna require this, then they should extend the hours or make it simpler. What a hassle

[ribrepin]

71. I had the same problem and couldn't get a enhanced license

My stepfather was dead and couldn't adopt me as a adult. The license bureau suggested I get a passport. I did with no problem. They use Social Security as verification. I applied for my card for my Social Security card under my stepfather's name. I don't remember if I had to show my birth certificate when I applied - it was 1967.

[pat_k]

85. Interesting.

I've never needed a passport, although I almost needed one to travel to Rwanda when my sister was injured there. The embassy guy helping out in the emergency advised that I get a passport in my birth cert name and just ignore all other ID. He didn't mention anything about SS verification (which would be in my step-father's name). I didn't end up needing to go, so didn't try to get the passport

I think the simplest for me at this point will be getting a court order to change birth name to the one I've always used. Here in WA the process is relatively simple, but the courts have been overwhelmed with people trying to straighten out name mismatches to get Real ID. They only do name changes a couple days a week. You show up with the petition and cash fee and wait around to be heard, which can take all day. You leave with an order, assuming it is granted. I have a little solo dog walking business these days. Of course the days the court does name changes are my busiest days. It is tough to cancel everything so I keep putting it off.

But, I do have to deal with it And soon.

[ribrepin]

98. I worked on getting a name change through the courts for years

I gathered everything together (certified birth certificate, marriage license, etc) and the pandemic hit and courthouses were closed for a long time. I was a lot less mobile after the pandemic and put it off. My birth state had changed things to get a amended birth certificate and didn't answer the phone much or respond to messages. I kind of gave up and then Trump was elected. I made it priority to get this figured out fast and remembered the license bureau saying a passport was an option because they use different sources of identification. I applied and it took about six weeks. It's not cheap, but it worked. I am also in Washington but my birth state is Montana. I also had present myself to a clerk in the courthouse, but it was nothing.

I had a passport card in my hot little hands before the asshole was inaugurated.

[TBF]

87. My situation is somewhat similar - I have a birth certificate that bears no resemblance to my current name

No one ever called me by my given name. As a young adult I decided to just legally change my name to the nickname I had always used, along with a slight change of my middle name so they sounded good together. Thankfully I kept a copy of that order. Then my last named changed twice due to marriage.

I have both social security card and updated passport, thankfully - and all documentation going back to the original birth certificate. It all makes sense. Except that I will have to explain it to some moron in the clerk's office here in Texas, which I'm not looking forward to.

[Srkdqltr]

19. I have an enhanced drivers license in Michigan that is usable as id.

[Hugin]

20. Anticipating this chicanery my folks got me an official copy...

Fifty years ago. Even though it has an embossed seal on it. It looks so different from the modern documents it's still questioned constantly.

[Skittles]

48. aren't you the one who said what's the problem with showing ID?

that's the simplistic bullshit repukes make it out to be, but it's way, way more than "showing ID:"

the greedy old pig party is doing everything they can to suppress voting because they know they'd be crushed in a fair election

[Jack Valentino]

69. Anyone who is not 'entirely too angry' is perhaps not paying enough attention....

[Jack Valentino]

74. The same to you!

[Skittles]

76. oh there is ANOTHER option

yes INDEED

[Skittles]

78. DAMN straight

true patriots are VERY ANGRY INDEED

[Jack Valentino]

88. and in this context, sounds a little bit like 'mansplaining'.... amirite or

amirite??

(I've been trying to avoid that lately myself, as a man)

[Skittles]

89. DU is my oasis from repuke garbage

I'd like to keep it that way.

[Skittles]

75. if you are ANYTHING but VERY ANGRY right now

you're either NOT PAYING ATTENTION or you're part of a CULT

[Skittles]

79. PASS

I am NOT FOOLED, not at ALL.

[Jack Valentino]

90. WEAK.

[Skittles]

92. probably busy with their "$3 meal"

yes indeed

[City Lights]

21. I have my birth certificate.

I have a passport and a Real ID. But I am fortunate.

[ananda]

22. I can.

I also have a passport card.

[Faux pas]

23. I have mine.

Being female, my name now and at birth are different.

[SocialDemocrat61]

24. I do

Have both birth certificate and passport.

[greatauntoftriplets]

27. I have a birth certificate and a passport.

Also my birth name.

[cachukis]

28. Had to send away for a certified certificate to get my

teaching certificate. Needed it for license upgrade.
A chore to get it. Cannot imagine dealing with my wife getting all the papers together to vote with name changes.

[obamanut2012]

33. Me, because I did membership for DAR last year

And I needed to get copies of things I had lost. I've had a passport for 35 years, but my wife didn't get one until I made her last year right after the election.

[maxsolomon]

36. I can, and I have a current passport.

Also, the SAVE Act is not getting past the Filibuster, and the Repukes aren't going to exempt this bill. They want the Filibuster for the next time they're in the minority. Which, God willing, is very soon.

[Scrivener7]

38. Write away for the birth certificate now. Mine came in just a couple of weeks, though it cost $40.

[Rebl2]

39. I have

my birth certificate and marriage license in my lock box at my bank. Some years ago our idiotic governor at the time made everyone prove they lived in this country to renew our driver’s license. So lucky me, I still live in the state I was born in and either paid nothing or minimal fee for a copy with a raised seal. I also have raised seal on marriage certificate. My husband on the hand had to jump through hoops to get his from the state where he was born. I think this was in the early 2000’s. Older people in their 70’s I believe, didn’t have to do anything. He lasted one term, the idiot. His father worked as attorney general for George W. The one who covered statutes with drapes— Ashcroft.

[Skittles]

82. NOT IN THE NEXT ELECTION

AND THAT IS ALL THEY CARE ABOUT RIGHT NOW

[Keepthesoulalive]

96. Not black women

[Jack Valentino]

73. ACTUALLY, 'married women' according to polls are MUCH more likely to vote Republican,

while unmarried women are much more likely to vote Democratic---


what they are attempting to pass might hurt their own party vote
MORE than the Democratic vote---

(with the caveat that some married Democratic women voters
might be economically less able to jump through all the hoops
which they are trying to create, for a "problem" which really
does not even EXIST, statistically....
maybe THAT is what they are counting on, but the data seems to weigh against them, IMHO)




In any case, it appears they won't be able to pass the bill,
and I think EVERYONE should be entitled to their vote,
even if they disagree with my opinions.....

[milestogo]

42. Newsflash: The birth certificate your mom saved from your original birthday doesn't count.

I only know this because I started a job a few years ago I brought in the one mom saved, complete with my inky footprints. I was told that this one doesn't count. Its kind of like a souvenir you get for going through labor.

The only birth certificate that COUNTS AS IDENTIFICATION is the official, notarized copy you get from the County Office in the county where you were born. You pay for the certificate, you pay for shipping, and unless you pay for overnight shipping- you wait.

So I have mine. Funny thing is I used the mommy birth certificate until 5 years ago.

If you are internet savvy and can afford to pay for it, its not that big of a deal. But it does require some effort, funds, and time.

[markodochartaigh]

43. When

Trump was elected the first time I got a certified copy of my birth certificate so I could get a new passport after my old one had been expired for years.
In an odd circumstance for which I'm unable to find any explanation I still know where they are, even after three hurricanes.

My sister still has our Grandmother's baptismal record. It's not common now, but Irish names have a masculine and a feminine form. I can't imagine these days having to try to explain that although Ó Dochartaigh and Ní Dhochartaigh may be spelled differently they are the same surname.

[rampartd]

44. i think i can manage

but trump will NEVER accept a birth certificate from obama.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

46. I was born in Germany while my father was stationed there during the cold war

I had to get a consular record of birth to get my passport. That was fun

[Bayard]

50. Nope, neither one

I think my birth certificate is buried in the garage somewhere, but its useless. I legally changed my first name, (thanks for that clunker, Mom,) years ago. Married twice, changed last name the first time. Now, I use my maiden name, hyphenated with my husband's. Wonder how they'll handle that, since plenty of woman have done the same?

Never had a passport.

[valleyrogue]

51. There would be court challenges galore. Elections are state matters.

This will never pass.

[bucolic_frolic]

52. I've had reason to peruse old census records, 1800-say 1950

Prior to about 1940, people's ages as reported, which is to say their birth year, varied greatly. They can't all be trying to appear younger. It's likely they never saw a birth certificate in their life. Or it was written in the family bible and only seen a few times. Democracy got along fine on that accuracy. This GOP crap is over the top.

[vankuria]

53. I had my original birth certificate

And it was in decent shape considering I’m 70 yrs old. I needed it to get my new license however I was told by the DMV it was invalid because it didn’t have the raised seal on it. Luckily I was only 40 miles from the county I was born in so I didn’t have a problem getting a new one. I needed my marriage license too, to show my name change through marriage however I couldn’t find it and thought I could use my divorce papers to show my name change but was told I had to show my marriage license. A lot of busy work for something I’ve been doing for decades; renewing my license and voting. I’m fortunate I drive and wasn’t too far from where I was born but this is and will be a nightmare for anyone with a name change from their original birth certificate. I would recommend to any woman contemplating marriage not to change their last name.

[Maeve]

54. I have an up-to-date passport

Ran around back in 2003 to get birth certificates for Hubby and me to get passports, which were renewed in 2023, so we're good. But we are middle-class, like to travel and can afford the expenses of doing that. Many can't. It's another form of poll tax

[Jacson6]

59. I have my BC due to having to get a REAL ID.

I have plenty of elderly neighbors that don't even know where they can get their certified BC. This is a trap so that the elderly and the poor can no longer vote.

[moondust]

80. Same here.

I had to contact the county recorder where I was born and pay a fee to have the recorder send me an official copy.

If a BC will be required to vote, will a REAL ID be accepted instead since an official BC was required to obtain it? I haven't heard anything about that.

[Raine]

60. I can. 🙂 nt

[Kaleva]

62. Mine is in a file in the office

[Tree Lady]

64. We have important papers file

It's in that, but I also have passport.

Its so obvious what they are doing and if congress votes for that, they should all go to prison.

[Totally Tunsie]

65. I took the Girl Scout motto - "Be Prepared" - as my life plan

and carry my current passport card as well as my short form birth certificate in my wallet. As my back-up, I also carry a booklet of the U.S. Constitution. I feel prepared.

[Melon]

66. I just ordered a new one for one of my children

Because I couldn’t find it and I want them to vote. I believe cost was $25 plus postage. It’s not immediate though. It will be a few weeks. You can use a service to rush but it doubled the total price.

[Jack Valentino]

68. I have a copy of my birth certificate, but not the original--- nor do I have a passport...

I bought a new copy of my birth certificate many years ago,
can't remember why I thought I needed it, now...

but I'm a male, and thus never changed my name through marriage---

However, even so, having to report to the city to show my documentation
would be a personal hardship to me, since my car is still dead in the driveway---

and if they amended the original bill to outlaw no-reason mail-in balloting
(which as I understand it, they still have not done yet in the Senate),
well, that would invoke further hardship since I have gotten used to mail-in voting
in Michigan--- a law which we passed by a popular vote initiative!---

(AND, I think if they managed to pass it, it should JUSTLY be
struck down by the Supreme Court---

since control over elections is delegated to state governments
by the Constitution, and not to the Federal government---

but we can't count on the Republican nominees to this court
to follow the US Constitution now, can we ???)

[Avalon Sparks]

72. Churches

If it passes, Churches especially Evangelical, are going to have all kinds of messaging and initiatives to help their married women who changed their last name. Efforts and funding campaigns to assist them with getting copies of their birth certificates, marriage licenses and even passports.

What are the Dems going to do toward the same efforts?

[karynnj]

81. I have both, but I need to renew my passport

It is easy to renew a passport as long as it is not more than 5 years out of date.

[Roc2020]

83. Since Covid I have

made sure my passport and other top notch identification documents current and locked away in a safe. The world is too unstable to not have the strongest forms of identification ready at will.

[Traildogbob]

84. In anticipation

I contacted the NC County Register of Deeds office I was borne in. Took about a week to get two raised stamp copies. $24. But everywhere passports here were sold have all shut down. WCU can do it in a special office there and it’s $200. With a three month Wait for office visit, mandated.
This is not a hoop many MAGA’s can or are willing to jump through. Or can afford under trumps low prices of stuff, and rising daily.
FUCK GQP. Had a draft number like most in my generation, no right to vote. I still joined the Navy but no right to vote, and was expected to die for the Country and Nixon. Fuck Trump, steal that right to protect a child raper. My veteran pride for this place is Vanishing. Now they want troops to die again, and take their votes away. To protect the child raper and all his band of thieves.

[Historic NY]

86. Problem is many only have the hospital issue not official document...

unless you needed it for Social Security or a Passport many have been stashed away

[yellowdogintexas]

93. mine is in the file cabinet right next to this chair

I also have extra copies of Mr YD and our daughter

I need to renew my passport, but I do have one

[ironman99]

97. Thinking about the SAVE act

The brilliant scientists of the GOPOT really did not think this out.

All anyone who is born in the US gets at birth is a birth certificate. Nowhere on that certificate does it say that you are a citizen. It is a given from the 14th Amendment. We don't get a document from the federal government saying we are a citizen.

The GOPOT putting this codswallop together would like to get rid of the 14th Amendment as well. But if they do that here is what happens:

No passports as a birth certificate does not imply citizenship
No "Real ID" as a birth certificate does not imply citizenship
The only people with proof of citizenship are those immigrants who passed the citizenship test and received a certificate signed by a judge or other officiant at their swearing in ceremony.

Requiring passports, "Real ID" or birth certificates will not allow you to vote as the birth certificate does not imply citizenship without the 14th Amendment which the GOPOT wants to get rid of.

[Rhiannon12866]

99. Nope, I've only seen it once when my mother took me to get my driver's license

She was worried about me losing it and got yelled at by the woman behind the desk since she jumped over the barricade to reclaim it after the woman was done with it...

And I have had more than one passport over the years, but both have expired so I have no idea where they are now.

[ForeGoneLegsBirne]

102. The Answer SHOULD BE 100%!

Find it in the next week OR get in touch with the county of your birth. Don't wait until summer & election season are here! Get this stuff nailed down ...Trump is only going to get more desperate!

[Croney]

103. To collect Social Security, you will need to prove who you are.

Please start amassing your proof now! I had four last names, a first name I dropped when I was a kid, a middle name I used as my first name, and a version of that name spelled differently on my birth certificate, which had been revised at birth to show a different last name.

Luckily, my mom kept report cards from grade school, and I had announcements and certificates and other papers so I was able to recreate the twisted path that was my life. I sent all that to the SSA and they believed me. Whew.

I have a passport. Requiring one to vote would be outrageous disenfranchisement.

[Bettie]

104. I have all of my family's birth certificates

in a folder here.

Four of the five of us have Read ID and Passports.

The fifth is 17, but he's white and male, so he'll probably never be questioned.

[LSparkle]

107. I carry an expired passport with me but does that count?

I had to provide my birth certificate in order to get it but it expired during Covid and I didn’t renew because ... well, it was during Covid and I wasn’t getting on a plane (still not doing that now because I don’t feel safe in the air with the current clown car admin).

It’s expired but it proves I provided the required documentation to get it. ?????

[PCB66]

111. My wife and I were both born in 1947

78 years later we both have our birth certificates.

Don't have any idea how mine survived.

[Shrek]

112. My passport and birth certificate are in the same desk on which my PC resides

I could retrieve either one in a matter of seconds.

[haele]

113. I do, but that's only because I needed it as part of the dependent verification package for

My granddaughters, who Laz and I have guardianship of. It's sitting in a fireproof gun safe, along with a crapload of other important papers, including military medical records, disability paperwork, trust and property documents...

Which reminds me, I remember all the dependent paperwork necessary when dad passed; I'll have to include at least ten copies of our marriage certificate just to get him through should do.ething happen to me.
VA, DEERS, DFAS, Social Security...all sorts of survivor benefits programs need an original notarized form from the courthouse.

[DFW]

115. I live in the EU, so I need my passport constantly

My daughters are US citizens, and always have current US (and German) passports nearby. All four of our grandchildren also have dual (USA and German) nationality, so they will be allowed to live, study and work in both the USA and the EU when the time comes. It was easy when our girls were born (mid 1980s), far more difficult now.

It took me all of one day each at the US Embassy in Bonn in 1983 and 1985 for my girls, eleven months of online bureaucracy and consulate appointments for their children (two each), but they both know how important it turned out to be for them, so they fought their way through the bureaucracy. One of our girls lives in New York City, and the other lives in Königstein in the Taunus Hills north of Frankfurt, and they visit frequently, sometimes just for a weekend.

[lastlib]

116. Top drawer of the file cabinet,,,,

right in the front.

But I don't have a passport, so I may be screwed. Plus, I'm a Democrat--I may be doubly screwed.