The Proof of Citizenship Initiative (POCI) allows only existing voters with Washington“Enhanced” Drivers licenses to remain on the voter rolls. Here is a link to the 9 page PDF of this Initiative
https://www2.sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/finaltext_3262.pdf
Here is a quote from the beginning of the Initiative:
(1) By July 1, 2027, each county auditor must consult with the department of licensing to determine whether each registered voter in the county has demonstrated proof of citizenship by applying for and receiving an enhanced driver's license or identicard under chapter 46.20 RCW.
(2) If the registered voter has demonstrated proof of citizenship, the voter shall remain registered.
If a voter does not have an enhanced license, they will be removed from the voter rolls and required to visit their county auditor in person and provide one of the following to be put back on the voter rolls. Here are the six acceptable forms of ID required for for a Proof of Citizenship required in order to register to vote for the first time or to get put back on the voter rolls:
(I) a valid current Washington State Enhanced Drivers License; (or)
(ii) a valid current Washington State Enhanced Identicard; (or)
(iii) A valid current United States passport; (or)
(iv) An original United States certificate of naturalization; (or)
(v) A US Department of State consular report of birth abroad; or
(vi) An original, certified birth certificate from a US birth place, issued by a city, county, state, or territory, that contains all of the following:
(A) Full name and date of birth;
(B) Place of birth, which must be a United States location;
(C) A registrar's raised, embossed, impressed, or multicolored seal;
(D) A control or file number that the issuing authority can confirm;
(E) A registrar's signature; and
(F) The date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office.
What is an enhanced Washington Drivers License?
To get an “Enhanced” Drivers License requires providing additional evidence such as an original certified birth certificate or a valid passport. It costs $128 to get an Enhanced Drivers License for 8 years. It is mainly used by folks who fly on planes or go across the Canadian or Mexican border. It was claimed that, starting May 7, 2025, normal Washington Drivers licenses would no longer be accepted as valid forms of ID for boarding domestic flights. However, so few people have enhanced Drivers Licenses (also called Real ID), that folks can still go on domestic flights without them – but they are put in a separate line where they are asked questions like what their address is.
The percent of drivers in Washington state with enhanced drivers licenses is very low
Despite the repeated threats being made about Real ID being required over the past 17 years, many people have refused to comply. There are 5 million registered voters in Washington state. A May 6, 2025 article indicated that only 29% of Washington drivers have an enhanced drivers license.
Thus, it is reasonable to assume that of our 5 million voters, less than 2 million have an enhanced drivers license and will therefore not need to register in person. However, 3 million currently registered and valid Washington voters do not have an enhanced drivers license and will be required to appear in person with an original birth certificate or a valid passport at their county auditors office to remain on the voters rolls.
A normal Washington Drivers License now states “Federal Limits Apply.”
(See image below)
Why have so many people refused to get an enhanced license?
Some people object to getting an enhanced drivers license because it costs $128 for 8 years. Some object that they are unable to get an enhanced license because they have no idea where their original Birth Certificate is. Even after 20 years of threatening Americans that they will not be able to get on a plane if they do not get an Enhanced Drivers License, 70% of Washington Drivers have refused to get the Enhanced Drivers License. These Washington citizens have “voted with their feet” that they are opposed to the Enhanced Drivers Licenses.
The Proof of Citizenship Initiative also gives preference to those who already have a valid US Passport
A valid US Passport is required to travel overseas and is useful for traveling to Canada or Mexico. About 45% of Washington voters have a valid passport. But this is likely the same people who have an enhanced Drivers License. Therefore, at most 1 million people will be able to easily take their passport to their county auditor and get back on the voter rolls. But this still leaves 2 million people who will need to find their original birth certificate to get back on the voter rolls.
Older Americans are less likely to have a valid passport than younger Americans
A 2023 YouGov survey found that 50% of people under 30 have a valid passport but only 33% of people between ages 45 to 64 have a valid passport. Thus the age group least likely to vote (young people) have more passports while the age group most likely to vote (older people) have fewer passports. This is age discrimination.
About 80% of low income people do not have a valid passport
Most of those without valid passports are relatively poor people. Only 21% of people making less than 50K per year have a valid passport, while 44% of people making 50 to 100K per year have a valid passport and an amazing 64% of people making more than 100K per year have a valid passport. This is discrimination against poor people.
There are huge racial differences in passport ownership
55% of Hispanic Americans have passports and 42% of white Americans have passports, but only 34% of Black Americans have passports.
The fact that the Voter ID Initiative gives those with a enhanced drivers licenses and or valid passports an easier pathway to registering to vote may lead to Constitutional challenges under the 14th Amendment for racial discrimination. (see legal rulings in our legal problems article).
Let’s take a closer look at who these two million people without passports or enhanced drivers licenses are. It turns out they are older people, lower income people, black people and women.
Many people and particularly women and homeless people have problems finding or even getting a valid Birth Certificate
A survey conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice found that more than 9 percent of American citizens of voting age don’t have proof of citizenship readily available. The survey asked respondents whether they had documents that prove their citizenship — a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers — readily available.
About 8% don’t have these documents at all, often because they were lost, destroyed, or stolen. 8 percent of five million Washington voters is 400,000 voters. Who are these 400,000 voters who are most likely to be disenfranchised?
The groups most likely to be disenfranchised are homeless people and married women who have changed their surnames. Nearly 80 percent of married women adopt their partner’s surname, and some would be unable to register to vote if the name on their ID does not directly match their proof of citizenship.
This group of unlucky voters includes married women who changed their last name when they got married. They will need to find and present their official Marriage Certificate in addition to their original Birth Certificate. If they got divorced or remarried, they will need to also provide their official Divorce Papers and Second Marriage documents.
This point was raised by the League of Women Voters in a press release opposing the Trump 2025 Presidential Order that is similar to the Washington Proof of Citizenship Initiative. The problem is that women are a legally protected class. This means that the government is required to protect the rights of women. The League of Women Voters has already filed a complaint in federal court in April 2025 – and won – over this restriction of their voting rights. They will almost certainly win again should this Initiative become law in our state in 2026.
But there are many other people besides women who will have a difficult time obtaining their original valid Birth Certificate in order to get back on the Voter Rolls. This includes homeless people, poor people, minorities, senior citizens and people who have moved a lot of times – especially people who have moved from other states to Washington state.
Thousands of unfortunate citizens, many of them elderly, will undoubtedly find themselves caught in a bureaucratic nightmare and lose their right to vote because they’re missing a piece of paper. Legal voters who have lost their records due to fires, floods or natural disasters will have a very difficult time obtaining the documents they need to get a Real ID card
Finally, there are no exceptions with Real ID Act for the in-person rule—Americans who are elderly, have health problems, full-time jobs, or young children for whom they cannot afford child care all must travel to the DMV and endure this cumbersome process. In some parts of the state, individuals may have to travel significant distances to reach their county DMV office.
The total number of legal Washington voters who will not be able to meet this new “proof of citizenship” requirement is in the tens of thousands and possibly in the hundreds of thousands.
But this is just the beginning of the problems with the Proof of Citizenship Initiative. In our next article, we will explain why the Proof of Citizenship Initiative will make our elections even less secure than they are now.