In South Carolina, proving who you are is not simple – and it is not free. To obtain a driver’s license, residents must bring original or government-certified documents verifying identity, citizenship, Social Security number, and current address. A birth certificate costs $12, a driver’s license is $25, and a passport can range from $130 to more than $165, plus additional fees for expedited processing and delivery. For many women, name-change updates add another $25 to $50.
These costs fall unevenly. An estimated 69 million American women (roughly 84% of married women) do not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name, requiring them to gather and pay for additional documents such as marriage licenses or divorce decrees – simply to align their identity records.
South Carolina requires these documents to issue a driver’s license or state ID. Yet voters must still present one of those photo IDs at the polls. This raises a fundamental question: If the state has already verified a citizen’s identity through multiple documents, why must voters prove it again on Election Day?
When you add up the fees for birth certificates, name-change documents, driver’s licenses, passports, transportation to government offices, and time away from work, the reality becomes clear: voting carries real costs. And for many – especially women and marginalized communities (i.e., rural, low-income, those who lack transportation) – these costs are not insignificant.
If states already possess everything needed to verify identity, why should citizens be required to spend money to exercise a constitutional right?
About Hannah E. Parker
Hannah E. Parker is an executive coach and HR strategist with global experience in leadership, equity, and organizational development. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, she resides in the Pee Dee region of Florence and has non-partisan political experience at the local, state, and national levels.
