Switching to Real ID May Actually Increase the Number of Non-Citizens Voting Illegally
Some argue that the implementation of Real ID will stop non-citizens from voting in US elections. That is a false claim. A US citizen and non-citizen can both get a Real ID. For example, if a non-citizen shows any of three documents, then that non-citizen is just as eligible for a Real ID as a US citizen. Those three documents follow.
1.) Foreign Passport & US Visa — The combination of a foreign passport with a valid US visa will get you a Real ID if you are not a US citizen. That passport can be from almost any country on earth, and a Geneva Convention Stateless Person passport will work too. That’s right, if we rely on Real ID to make our elections legitimate, then even stateless people will be able to vote in US elections, which is not an improvement from the present state of affairs.
2.) Green Card — A Permanent Resident Card will get you a Real ID if you are not a US citizen. That is the document that is colloquially known as a “green card.” Starting in the 1940s, there was a green colored document provided by the US government from which this term comes.
3.) EAD — An Employment Authorization Document (EAD) issued by the Department of Homeland Security will get you a Real ID if you are not a US Citizen.
The number of people holding those three documents may be in the vicinity of 20 million people. Let me break those number down further.
If Real ID Is Successfully Implemented, Some 20 Million Will Be Able To Illegally Vote Using Real ID!
The first category above is difficult to determine precise numbers on. There appears to be no definitive publicly available count of how many foreign passport holders there are with valid US visas. They are in the millions. The number is constantly in flux and the number of visas granted each year changes. That would be millions of people who fit in that first category who could legally obtain a Real ID.
As for the second category above, the Department of Homeland Security reports that, as of March 2025, there are nearly 13 million green card holders in the United States. These green card holders are eligible for a Real ID.
As for the third category above, there are approximately an additional 2 million with a work authorization letter from Homeland Security, but no green card.
To come up with a very general estimate of how many people are carrying those three forms of identification, there could be perhaps, again, 20 million people who could legally get a Real ID in any given year who are not US citizens. Given the nature of how the US Census is performed, as well as the more recent large flux of migrants both into and out of the country, it is difficult to know the present US population with great precision. The US population may be in the range of 340 million, 350 million or more. That would mean that non-citizens who are eligible for a Real ID would be about 6% of the population.
As we are looking specifically at the impact of Real ID on voting, rather that considering the number 20 million in regards to the entire population, let’s, instead, look at that 20 million legal non-citizens in comparison to the total number of registered voters.
Relying On Real ID May INCREASE The Number Of Illegal Voters ABOVE What Already Takes Place!
Getting to an exact
Article from LewRockwell
LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.
