Bill Overview
Title: Citizen Vote Protection Act
Description: This bill revises the minimum document requirements and issuance standards for federal recognition of state-issued driver's licenses or identification cards. Specifically, the bill prohibits federal agencies from accepting a state-issued driver's license or identification card unless the document includes the individual's citizenship status.
Sponsors: Rep. Davis, Rodney [R-IL-13]
Target Audience
Population: Individuals requiring state-issued identification for federal purposes
Estimated Size: 258000000
- There are approximately 258 million adults in the United States.
- Voter ID laws could potentially impact anyone who requires a driver's license or state ID to vote.
- Citizenship status requirements will impact non-citizens residing in the U.S. who are ineligible to vote but need identification for other purposes.
- The bill will affect state agencies that issue identification cards as they may need to update their processes.
- While driver's licenses and IDs are used by the majority of those eligible to vote, not everyone uses them as proof of identification in states without strict ID laws.
Reasoning
- The policy affects individuals who require state-issued IDs for federal purposes. Given that there are an estimated 258 million adults in the U.S., we need to be mindful of the budget constraints when implementing changes to ID issuance processes.
- The cost of updating ID systems to include citizenship status must be balanced with the available budget and the number of people impacted.
- Not everyone will be equally affected—those without citizenship may face greater challenges.
- State agencies will need support to implement these changes, potentially impacting budgets and leading to varied implementation timelines across states.
- It's important to simulate individuals both heavily impacted by the policy, as well as those who may see no change, to fully understand its range of effects.
Simulated Interviews
College Student (New York, NY)
Age: 23 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 16/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I don't think this new policy will affect me much since I'm a U.S. citizen and my ID should already cover what's needed.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Non-profit Manager (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm concerned this might complicate renewing my license or ID. It could impact my ability to travel for work.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 7 |
Tech Entrepreneur (Austin, TX)
Age: 32 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 9
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This could streamline international travel for me, though costs and admin updates might be troublesome.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 9 |
Truck Driver (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I just renewed my license. I hope that means I won't have to deal with a new process again so soon.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Freelance Artist (Miami, FL)
Age: 29 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy worries me as it might affect the validity of my state ID, which I need for work.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 3 | 6 |
Retired Teacher (Columbus, OH)
Age: 60 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- As a volunteer during elections, I think this could complicate voter registration processes unnecessarily.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 8 |
Lawyer (Chicago, IL)
Age: 38 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This will affect a lot of my clients, potentially creating legal complications with their status verifications.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 7 |
Software Developer (Denver, CO)
Age: 27 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy might add a layer of complexity to my renewal processes, though I understand its intention.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
University Student (Seattle, WA)
Age: 19 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 9
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 20/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I just got an ID and don't think my life will be much different, but it might make registering to vote slightly easier in the future.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 9 |
Teacher (New Orleans, LA)
Age: 33 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy could have negative repercussions on the immigrant communities I work with, who might already face challenges related to identification and documentation.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 8 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $300000000 (Low: $150000000, High: $500000000)
Year 2: $150000000 (Low: $100000000, High: $250000000)
Year 3: $100000000 (Low: $50000000, High: $200000000)
Year 5: $50000000 (Low: $30000000, High: $100000000)
Year 10: $20000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $50000000)
Year 100: $5000000 (Low: $1000000, High: $10000000)
Key Considerations
- There could be pushback from states with different ID card regulations, impacting the rate and cost of implementation.
- Ensuring data security and privacy with the increased personal information on IDs is critical.
- Potential legal challenges could arise around the inclusion of citizenship status on identification documents.