Until every veteran has an ID...

Dear Friends,

As you likely have seen by now, we think about IDs a lot. Namely who doesn't have them, why, and how we can make sure they do. So when one of us was reading this New York Times photo essay, What It’s Like to Leave Prison During a Pandemic, we were glad to see the reporter highlight how challenging it is to leave prison and re-enter society without an ID. We know this is a huge issue, as our colleagues at Spread The Vote + Project ID work with numerous returning citizens.



The article mentions "a local group whose expertise helped [Richard] cut through red tape to get a government ID two months after his release" but that's the end of the discussion. It's unfortunate because this is a problem with a pretty simple policy solution—provide people with IDs prior to their release. Several states already have such a policy in place (though follow-up data on implementation is hard to come by).



That's why we have so much confidence in our #FreeIDsForVets campaign. Where there's a will, there's a way, and we have the fortitude and foresight to get it done. But we do need your support. Your donations fuel the fight but we also need to keep having these conversations about IDs. It's a widespread but mostly invisible issue. Together, we'll change that, too.