I can’t stop talking about the Movement Advancement Project’s incredible new ID study. It came out in November and fully changed the game. We had been in desperate need of a good ID study, the last one came out in 2012ish, and this update was exactly what we were looking for.
It is constantly shocking to me that everyone isn’t talking about the ID crisis all of the time. How many other issues can you think of that impact the lives, health, and prospects of 26 million American adults? Over 11% of the population! And yet it remains an invisible issue, no matter how hard I and the few other ID activists out there (mostly at Project ID lol) try. So when the MAP study came out, I jumped for joy. Finally, new data to prove just how big an issue this is.
So what did they find? A lot, most of it confirming what we experience on the ground. I won’t go through the whole study for you, although I do recommend lighting a fire, putting on your favorite pjs, popping open a glass of wine, and diving into the data delights on a Saturday night, but if that’s not your jam, here are some of the biggest points:
26 million American adults do not have government-issued photo ID (10 years ago it was 21 million)
15-18 million American adults do not have access to documents proving birth or citizenship
60% of unhoused people experienced police harassment or arrest if they could not produce an ID on demand
68% of transgender people lack a valid and accurate driver’s license.
54% of people without photo ID’s were denied shelter or housing services
45% of unhoused people were denied medical services due to lack of photo ID
Public benefits denial due to lack of photo ID: 53% denied food stamps, 51% denied SSI, 31% denied TANF
Yeah. That’s just a tiny fraction of the data and it’s pretty shocking. When we say IDs are about jobs, housing, health, and life, we are not kidding.
So what do we do? Get IDs. Pass laws. Change the world.
Keep reading this newsletter and pass it along. We have a lot of work to do.
Kat