KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) - Residents in a southern Michigan county who lack the necessary documents for obtaining a state ID will be able to access a new alternative identification card program.
Kalamazoo County will begin accepting applications to the new program Thursday, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported . The $10 county ID cards require looser criteria than state IDs.
Residents can prove their identity and residency status with documents such as a high school diploma, marriage license or Michigan Department of Corrections prisoner identification card. The documents are valued on a point-based system.
The county IDs won’t permit an individual to vote, obtain a driver’s license or gain citizenship. But the program will ensure that residents without a state ID can still access some government and commercial services.
More than 18,000 people in Kalamazoo County don’t have any form of picture identification, according to a Kalamazoo College study last year. The study included homeless individuals, seniors who lost records, immigrants living in the country without documentation and people returning from prison. The study found that state ID cards can be required to fill a prescription, turn on utilities in a home or access a bank.
County ID cards can make immigrants without documentation more comfortable contacting police if needed, said Sheriff Rick Fuller. The cards can also help emergency responders identify individuals more accurately, he said.
County Clerk Tim Snow anticipates issuing 1,500 ID cards this year.
Some state and federal programs may not recognize the ID. The card also won’t facilitate access to subsidized housing services, state-funded food stamps and welfare benefits.
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Information from: Kalamazoo Gazette, http://www.mlive.com/kalamazoo
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