By Donna Westfall – September 21, 2020 In today's mail a notice for renewing a driver's license came from DMV, along with a separate flyer accompanying the the notice about; How to get a REAL ID. Let's go back 19 years to 9/11/01 when terrorists attacked the twin towers. Congress passed the REAL ID Act as part of a national effort to safeguard airline travel. The act requires all states to meet tougher identification standards for issuing driver’s licenses and other ID cards in order for those cards to be accepted as valid personal identification at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in airports. Do you need or want a REAL ID? Yes, if you want to fly domestically as well as internationally. Or, if you want to go on a military base. No, if you don't plan on flying. How do you get a REAL ID? You have to physically go into the DMV. You must take the following to prove that you who you say you are: 1.) Proof of Identity (Such as birth certificate, valid U.S. Passport, or permanent resident card). 2.) Proof of Social Security Number (SSN Card, W-2 or paystub with full SSN), 3.) Proof of California Residency (2 documents, such as home utility bill, vehicle registration, property tax bill, or mortgage or lease agreement). 4.) Proof of name change (if the name on your identity document is different than the name on your application. Such as divorce or marriage paperwork). Is there a charge? Yes, it's $35. However, one instruction states it is the same charge whether or not you renew your drivers license or get a REAL ID. EXCEPT, the renewal notice that was mailed to us stated $38 to renew the drivers license. Always a discrepancy. Well, what do you expect. It's the government. Can you do this online? No. Do you need to do this now? Starting October 2020, the federal government says they will require REAL ID. Not only for flights but also to enter a military base. REAL ID cards are not needed to drive, vote, receive federal benefits such as Social Security or enter other federal facilities that don’t require ID, such as a post office. My question: If they're not needed to drive, do we still have to have a Driver's License plus REAL ID? My last thought: When will they make it mandatory to show ID to vote? I can't stand the thought of so much voter fraud going on in this country. But that's an article for another day.