Not trying to put on a tinfoil hat here, but there's a clause in the laws about Real ID that says you can only have one form of it. I think they put that in there so they have the option of revoking it and preventing people from traveling inside the US by driving (since it's tied to your license), taking the Greyhound, Amtrak, plane, etc. Interstate travel is supposed to be a constitutional right, but I suppose the argument would be that you're free to hire a chauffer or walk if you need to get to Nebraska.
What does RealID (or "only one form of it") have to do with having a license or not compared to the pre-RealID days? Are you thinking of someone trying to maintain licenses in multiple states or such?
And is it "RealID for Greyhound" or "photo ID"? (Not that passports are super easy to get if you're homeless and had your documents lost or stolen in the past or such either... IMO the lack of proactive work by government agencies in *getting homeless people the documents they need without a permanent address is a huge shame.)
The thing that made me think of it was that several years ago I went on vacation to a different state and when I got there the rental car company turned me away because my license had expired a couple of days prior. I hopped in a cab, went to the local DMV, and got a new license. When I returned to my home state I renewed my license there, and all was good, until a couple of years later I went to add an endorsement or something and mentioned that I had a backup driver's license from that other state that was still valid. Nope, they said, that's illegal because it means we can't revoke your driving privileges if we need to, and they made me destroy it. So why would they prevent me from having two forms of Real ID, like a driver's license from one state and an ID card from another state? Presumably each one is vetted to the point that there's no question about its authenticity.
> So why would they prevent me from having two forms of Real ID, like a driver's license from one state and an ID card from another state?
Having DLs from multiple states implies that you’re a resident of multiple states, which you legally cannot be for things like voting and taxation.
I’m honestly surprised that you were able to get a driver’s license without having any sort of proof that you lived there. Most states require you to provide documents showing an in-state address
Because you can't be a resident of multiple states, or at least not in most systems like vehicle licenses or taxes or what have you.
Say you're driving, and commit a felony, and are caught on tape. The idea is that the license identifies you. If you have fifty licenses and fifty addresses and you're not at 49 of them, then it doesn't serve that purpose. For that reason, it's considered fraud.
Likewise if you have one ID and it isn't accurate. Sure, there are grace periods and what have you but the end result is the same.
> So why would they prevent me from having two forms of Real ID, like a driver's license from one state and an ID card from another state
Why would you want/need to have them both?
Also remember that revoking someone’s license is a terrible way to get them to stop driving. If it worked people wouldn’t be out getting multiple DUIs. When driving is the only option to get around, taking away a piece of plastic doesn’t stop people from doing it.
Back before 9/11, I worked with a techie, a good kid who was a careless driver and racked up traffic tickets. He worked and I supposed lived in Washington, DC. With relatives in the District, Maryland, and Virginia, he had no trouble acquiring three drivers licenses, and could manage things so that at least one license wasn't suspended any given month.
