When is the last time you used your driver’s license as an ID? For me, it was when I forgot my library card but wanted to check out the books that I had reserved. For you, perhaps it was when you checked in for a medical appointment, entered your child’s school or ordered a drink in a restaurant.

Approximately 82,000 residents of Minnesota are eligible for a driver’s license or state ID, but cannot get one because they are undocumented immigrants. Many have been living here for decades and were able to obtain a driver’s license until Governor Pawlenty changed the law in 2003. Imagine having your driving privileges and access to an ID stripped away. For undocumented immigrants, having access to a Driver’s License or State ID is both a matter of convenience and access and dignity to move around the state.

Currently, twelve states and the District of Columbia allow undocumented people access to a driver’s license. Issuing a driver’s license requires that people pass a written test and a driving test. After passing these tests people can purchase car insurance. States that have driver’s licenses for all see a reduction in uninsured drivers which results in a decrease in the cost of car insurance for everyone in the state.

The Minnesota campaign for driver’s licenses for all, regardless of immigration status (HF1500) is led by the Freedom to Drive MN Coalition - a statewide coalition of non-profit organizations, unions, immigrant rights advocates, community-based groups and collectives, faith-based organizations, workers’ rights advocates and businesses led by the Multiracial Coalition on Immigration. Learn more about the coalition and the importance of driver’s licenses at www.freedom2driveMN.com

Join Women’s March MN and the Freedom to Drive MN Coalition in supporting HF1500. Sign up to show your legislators that this issue is important to you and receive updates on how to support driver’s licenses for all.

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By Ann Curoe, WMM Volunteer and our representative in the Freedom to Drive Coalition.