General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 93-Year-Old Grandmother Is Suing Pennsylvania Over Voter ID Laws [View all]A US passport can be obtained without a birth certificate or other primary evidence of citizenship. Certain secondary forms of evidence of citizenship are accepted as detailed on State Department website:
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/secondary_evidence/secondary_evidence_4315.html
States usually provide a way to obtain a "delayed registration" birth certificate if no record is found of the person's birth. The state may require the person to first have a search of birth records done, then obtain a "no record of birth" document. Then the person can get a delayed registration birth certificate by submitting the no-record document along with a document showing birth information (eg, a document older than a certain number of years that details the person's name and date & place of birth).
Of course all of those methods cost $.