ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Some women in New York are facing challenges obtaining Real IDs due to rules requiring original marriage certificates with raised seals. Without these documents, their applications aren’t processed.
Dorothy Ballone, who applied for her Real ID with a copy of her 1958 marriage certificate, was denied because it wasn’t the original. Ballone said she feels discriminated against and continues to pursue the matter, believing she’s not alone.
Betty Schultz, who married in Hawaii in 1974, also lacks original documents.
“I had recently gone to the DMV to get my Real ID and found out that nothing I had could be used,” Schultz said.
State rules require the original marriage license to prove a name change. Jamie Romeo, Monroe County Clerk, said, “They’re having harder times getting through this process because it’s not only do you have to have the documents but apparently we need to have the originals with the raised seals.”
Schultz believes the rules discriminate against married women or anyone taking their spouse’s last name.
“I think it’s discrimination against married women or anybody that takes their significant other’s last name,” Schultz said.
When asked if the DMV offered solutions, Schultz was told no.
“They just told me I had to go find it,” Schultz said.
She expressed frustration about finding a document from 1974 that didn’t originally have a raised seal.
Starting May 7, a Real ID or passport will be required to fly domestically. With the help of the governor’s office, Ballone’s original marriage certificate was located in the Rochester City Clerk’s Office.
The state DMV stated this is a federal rule but will accept certified copies. They also mentioned that if the name matches on your driver’s license, social security card and residency, the original marriage document may not be necessary.
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‘I think it’s discrimination’: Women struggling to get REAL ID after taking spouse’s last name WHEC.com.
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