On the front page of their website, the Indiana state government is touting National Air Quality Awareness Week. Good thing because something there sure is stinky. Without a shred of evidence of election fraud through identity manipulation in Indiana, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday to bring back the poll tax by upholding the law requiring voters there to present a valid government issue photo id:
…the court acknowledged that the record of the case contained “no evidence” of the type of voter fraud the law was ostensibly devised to detect and deter, the effort by a voter to cast a ballot in another person’s name.
Read that again. No evidence. Yet because of their ruling there is now an undue burden on the poor and elderly to vote. For them, a voter registration card is not enough. But no worries. To help the citizens of Indiana wade through the steps needed to get their government issue photo id, I present a step by step guide.
No driver’s license? No problem. Just bring your birth certificate down to the Bureau of Motor vehicles, fill out the paperwork, pay the fee, and get your id. If you don’t have wheels, take public transportation or get someone to drive you. Here’s what you need:
If you are applying for a new driver license, identification card, learner permit, or driver education permit you must visit a license branch and present the following documents:
- One primary document
- One secondary document; and
- Proof of Social Security number or Social Security ineligibility; and
- Proof of Indiana residency.
OR
- One primary document; and
- Proof of Social Security number or Social Security ineligibility; and
- Proof of Indiana residency.
Primary documents accepted include US Birth Certificate with authenticating stamp or seal containing the applicant’s date of birth, place of birth, and parent’s names issued by a county department or county board of health from the applicant’s state of birth, a state department or state board of health from the applicant’s state of birth, or a verified delayed birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization/Citizenship, Certification of report of birth (DS-1350), U.S. consular report of birth (FS-240), Birth certificate issued by United States territories, including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands, U.S. Veterans Universal Access Identification card with photo, U.S. Military/Merchant Marines identification card with photo, or U.S. Passport.
Don’t have the required documents like a birth certificate or social security card? No problem, just follow these instructions to get your social security replacement card:
You can replace your card for free if it is lost or stolen.
To replace a lost Social Security card:
- Complete an Application For A Social Security Card (Form SS-5); and
- Show us documents proving your identity.
- Show us documents proving your U.S. citizenship if our records do not already contain that information.
- Show us documents proving your current, lawful, work-authorized status if you are not a U.S. citizen.
In most cases, you can mail or take your application and original documents to your local Social Security office. If you live in the New York City metropolitan area, Las Vegas NV, Orlando FL, or Phoenix AZ you may need to apply in person at your local Social Security Card Center.
All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies of notarized copies of documents.
To get a new birth certificate, just find out how the state in which you were born handles the replacement. Indiana, for instance, allows you to simply mail $10 in to the Vital Records department of the Indiana State Department of Health. As long as you follow this one rule:
Applicant must provide a photocopy of a valid identification with picture and signature along with the application.
Easy. HEY! Wait a minute….
In Indiana you need a valid identification with picture and signature to get the copy of the birth certificate you need to get a valid identification with picture so you can vote? Yo Scalia, chew on that.
No money to a pay for either a copy of your birth certificate - which, did I mention, you can’t get without a valid picture id? - or the government issue photo id? No problem, just go down to your county’s election commission, and fill out the paperwork to get your certificate of indigency. I’m not sure what documentation you need to prove indigency - probably a valid photo id - but nevertheless, once you have it then you can use it to get all the documentation you need to get the valid photo id without having to pay for it all.
If you can’t afford the time away from work for all these trips back and forth to these agencies, or the time on the phone it takes to sort it all out, then you can use your computer like I did to go online to find out what you need to do. See, it’s easy!*
UPDATE: If you are over 65 in Indiana, you can get, without a birth certificate, a plain ID card instead of a Driver’s license. Sweet! From the Indiana.gov site:
Identification card applicants who are 65 years or older, and can attest that they have never been issued a birth certificate because their birth was never recorded with a state office of vital statistics, may present other forms of identification as a primary document of identification, along with the necessary secondary document of identification, for an Indiana identification card.
Individuals who are 65 years or older may present, as primary documents:
- Medicaid/Medicare card
- Social Security benefits statement
- Property deed
- Property tax statement
- Bank statement
- US Veteran’s Access Photo ID card
- Marriage/divorce decree
- Pension statement
Please note that secondary documents, and other documents proving residency, are still required for most transactions. Please view our full identification requirements list to determine whether you have sufficient documentation.
Identification card applicants who are younger than 65 years of age and who do not have an original copy of their birth certificate should bring another document from the primary group of identification documents or contact the health department or department of vital statistics in their county or state of birth to obtain a new copy of their original birth certificate.
To be accepted by the BMV, a birth certificate must be an original copy with a raised seal issued by the health department or department of vital statistics in the applicant’s county or state of birth. Birth certificates issued by hospitals or other organizations will not be accepted.
UPDATE II: Brad Friedman has a step by step guide at Bradblog.com. I bet he’s tired too.
*I need a nap.
