Florida to include citizenship status on driver licenses

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WINK)—Florida driver licenses are a treasure trove of information. Your name. Your address. Whether you're deaf or insulin-dependent. 

Soon, it will also include your immigration status. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed the SAVE Act, which tightens voter registration and ID requirements The law requires voters to provide evidence of citizenship to vote and limits the type of identification that can be used at the poll. 

Top Republicans said it will strengthen election integrity. 

“We must be proactive in order to ensure that every citizen in Florida can have trust in the system,” said Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, during a bill signing ceremony on April 1. 

The law will require election officials to verify a voter’s citizenship during the voter registration process by checking government databases, including records from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

According to the Lee County Supervisor of Elections Office, if citizenship cannot be verified through those databases, voters may be asked to provide additional documentation to confirm their eligibility.

If a voter’s eligibility cannot be verified at the polls, they may still cast a provisional ballot, but they must later provide proof of eligibility for the vote to be counted.

The bill would also change which forms of identification are accepted at polling places.

Under current Florida law, voters can use more than a dozen forms of photo identification, including student IDs and retirement community IDs. The new legislation would remove those options from the list of acceptable IDs.

The law also mandates that Florida driver's licenses and state ID cards to include citizenship status. The change will apply to new and renewed licenses after Jan. 1, 2027. 

The state already requires applicants to provide proof of citizenship or legal status, according Mandy Mattson, director of operations for the Charlotte County Tax Collector’s office. 

Applicants who are U.S. citizens must provide a passport or birth certificate along with proof of Social Security and residency, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).

Immigrants must provide a form of primary identification, like a judge’s order, along with proof of Social Security and residency, according to the FLHSMV.

“We do require proof of citizenship or legal presence for every drivers license transaction,” Mattson said. "And we do not anticipate that to change."

Immigration advocates warn the citizenship designation could lead to discrimination. 

“First and foremost it’s an invasion of privacy,” said Thomas Kennedy, policy analyst with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “Think about the day-to-day instances where you use an ID whether you go to a restaurant or a bar or the movies or any sort of administrative dealing.”

The Florida Immigrant Coalition is challenging the law in federal court along with other advocacy groups like the ACLU. Opponents argue the law disenfranchise voters who don’t have ready access to documents like a passport. 

DeSantis dismissed those concerns after signing the bill. 

“What happens on all these, I sign it, they sue us, right?” DeSantis said. "They go to a liberal judge. The liberal judge sides with them. Then we appeal and then we win.”