As I write this, the Election Integrity Bill (HB 991/SB 1334) has just passed both the Florida House of Representatives and Senate. It will go into effect unless vetoed by the Governor. In the meantime, let's examine the current and potential relationship between your Florida driver's license/ID card and voting.

 

Your Florida driver's license/ID is a REAL IDENTITY!

The REAL ID Act went into effect nationwide on May 11, 2008. Florida began issuing REAL ID-compliant credentials after January 1, 2010. The new credentials have a star in the upper right corner of the card. Florida is a REAL ID-compliant state, and all Florida driver's licenses should be accepted nationwide. As of May 2025, over 99% of Florida driver's licenses/IDs are REAL ID compliant! Let me reiterate: Only REAL IDs are issued in Florida. There are no other types of driver's license/ID cards.

 

How to get your REAL ID

You probably don't remember what you had to do to get your REAL ID. If you were a U.S. citizen , you had to provide primary identification (e.g., birth certificate, passport, etc.)—the same documents that will be required if HB 991/SB 1334 goes into effect. If you had changed your last name from the one on your birth certificate, you had to provide documentation to prove it (e.g., a marriage certificate). Again, the same documents required by these laws.

 

If you were not a U.S. citizen, you were required to present another form of primary identification, depending on whether you were an immigrant , non-immigrant , or Canadian .

 

Everyone, whether U.S. citizens or not, also had to present: proof of social security and proof of address; for the latter, two different documents were required.

 

Now, do you remember how complicated it was the first time you did it, unless, of course, you had a U.S. passport? With a U.S. passport, you were in luck, because you didn't have to submit those hard-to-find documents, like birth and marriage certificates. You'd already obtained them to get your passport!

 

FLHSMV has its legal status registered!

Therefore, if you possess a Florida driver's license or identification, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) already has your legal status recorded in its (hopefully secure) database. They already know whether you are a U.S. citizen or not.

 

In theory, that means Supervisors of Elections (SOEs) can easily consult the FLHSMV database to determine if you are, in fact, a U.S. citizen and eligible to register to vote and then vote, as required by HB 991/SB 1334. Easy peasy!

 

Can't US citizens vote?

The problem, of course, will be for those U.S. citizens who don't have a Florida driver's license or ID. Currently, it's possible to register to vote using only a Social Security number. While the Elections Office may take longer to process the application, they can still do it.

​

If HB 991/SB 1334 becomes law, the State Office of Elections (SOE) will have to verify the citizenship of every new voter registration applicant before processing the application by consulting the FLHSMV database. Simply checking the "yes" box to the question "Are you a citizen of the United States of America?" will no longer be sufficient, even if an affidavit is signed at the end of the form stating that "all information provided in this application is true!"

 

For those already registered to vote, the state (i.e., our overburdened state offices) must verify your citizenship. How? By using official government databases, with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) being the first option. If the state office cannot find a database confirming your U.S. citizenship, you will need to provide your primary identification documents to prove it—the same documents you must submit to the FLHSMV to obtain your Florida driver's license or ID.

 

This means that a 90-year-old woman, married twice, who no longer drives and has neither a driver's license nor a Florida ID, but who has voted every adult life, will NOT be allowed to vote without presenting her primary identification documents IF they cannot determine, through a database search, whether or not she is a citizen. It's not that simple!

 

And then they changed the driver's license/identification numbers.

To increase security, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) began issuing new driver's license and identification numbers in August 2024. This wouldn't pose a problem, except that the new number doesn't match the one on the driver's license or identification in the voter registration database. Voters began experiencing difficulties accessing their voter registration online or requesting a vote-by-mail ballot online.

 

As more people obtained the new, more secure document of identity (DL/ID), and more voters complained about the failure in their voter registration file, people working at DL/ID service centers have begun asking people at the start of the RENEWAL process if they want to UPDATE their voter registration file.

 

Some people believe they are required to re-register to vote when they update their voter registration. This appears to be the case because, essentially, the entire voter registration form must be completed when changing your name, address, political affiliation, and now, your driver's license or identification number.

 

Another NEW ID card/driver's license

If HB 991/SB 1334 becomes law, by July 1, 2027, the state will begin replacing our current driver's license/identification cards with NEW ones that will indicate legal citizenship status directly on the card.

 

One more thing

The bill, passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, includes a provision that reduces the number of valid forms of identification for in-person voting. Debit or credit cards, student IDs, retirement center IDs, neighborhood association IDs, and public assistance cards will no longer be accepted. However, a Florida driver's license or identification card will still be valid.

 

Confused? Help young voters!

Probably, but don't worry, rejoice! We can lament, bite our nails, and complain bitterly. Instead, encourage all voters to get a Florida driver's license or ID card. This is especially important for young voters, as only about 56% of them obtain a driver's license. Their perfectly valid logic is: if you don't drive, you don't need a driver's license. But they do need a Florida ID to easily register to vote and then vote! If you know any young people, help them get a driver's license or ID, whether by providing them with funds or helping them obtain the documents. Just like with voting, just do it!

 

For others, such as people with disabilities and seniors who don't have a Florida driver's license or ID, the process will likely be more complicated. If you know someone who doesn't have a Florida driver's license or ID, ask them. Don't hesitate to ask: voting is important to them, and we need to know if they have a driver's license or ID. If they don't, determine if you can help them.

 

Voter registration

Currently, to register to vote online, you need to provide a Florida driver's license or ID and the last four digits of your Social Security number. This remains unchanged following the passage of HB 991/SB 1334.

 

This is the information we must communicate to voters who use the paper application when they register to vote for the first time or when they update their information, such as name, address, political affiliation, or signature.

 

Stay tuned as we continue to determine exactly how HB 991/SB 1334 will be implemented.