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It varies by state. Some (like Arizona, IIRC) are very mail/online-heavy. Others, like Montana, at least partially outsource the vehicle registration function t

by mmt 8y ago

It varies by state. Some (like Arizona, IIRC) are very mail/online-heavy. Others, like Montana, at least partially outsource the vehicle registration function to the counties. California keeps it all under one central bureaucracy. The unfortunate part is that this includes issuing the only widely-accepted form of ID, which has nothing to do with vehicles. A web search for "uk photo id" brought up several competing "proof of age" cards, which I assume are privatized and accepted for alcohol, tobacco, and similarly age-restricted commerce. How are other things, such as banking, handled? What about passports? The process here is, arguably, as byzantine and time consuming as some DMV transactions, also requiring physical presence for initial issuance, but at least the document lasts 10 years instead of 5 (CA.. other states vary).

laurencerowe 8y ago
Passports are also handled through the mail / online. For the first one I had to get the photo counter signed by a ‘respected member of the community’ who’d known me for 2 years (teacher, doctor, ...) Opening a bank account now requires showing a passport or driving license (or ID card if you are from an EU country which has one.) The proof of age cards aren’t official ID and few people had them, probably fewer since driving licenses got photos 15 or so years ago. Can drink/smoke from 18 and most places don’t ask for ID to buy unless you look very young. Would occasionaly get asked when my birthday was when still a teenager.
- mmt 8y ago
  > Passports are also handled through the mail / online. For the first one I had to get the photo counter signed by a ‘respected member of the community’ who’d known me for 2 years That sounds similar to how it used to be possible, in California, for a notary public to confirm identity based on personal knowledge, but that hasn't been the case for a while. That model seems ripe for abuse, although it can be significantly limited if things like vital statistics are national/centralized. In the US, they're often done at the county level, which is its own nightmare, but changing that is likely to be politically untenable (and, before computer networking, arguably, impractical for a country with 6x the population and 38x the area of the UK).

by mmt 8y ago

laurencerowe 8y ago

Passports are also handled through the mail / online. For the first one I had to get the photo counter signed by a ‘respected member of the community’ who’d known me for 2 years (teacher, doctor, ...) Opening a bank account now requires showing a passport or driving license (or ID card if you are from an EU country which has one.) The proof of age cards aren’t official ID and few people had them, probably fewer since driving licenses got photos 15 or so years ago. Can drink/smoke from 18 and most places don’t ask for ID to buy unless you look very young. Would occasionaly get asked when my birthday was when still a teenager.

mmt 8y ago
> Passports are also handled through the mail / online. For the first one I had to get the photo counter signed by a ‘respected member of the community’ who’d known me for 2 years That sounds similar to how it used to be possible, in California, for a notary public to confirm identity based on personal knowledge, but that hasn't been the case for a while. That model seems ripe for abuse, although it can be significantly limited if things like vital statistics are national/centralized. In the US, they're often done at the county level, which is its own nightmare, but changing that is likely to be politically untenable (and, before computer networking, arguably, impractical for a country with 6x the population and 38x the area of the UK).