Celebrating Johnson County’s community ID

“Before getting the Johnson County ID, I avoided taking my child to the library because I did not have an ID. If I did, I didn't check things out.”

Many people don’t realize just how essential government-issued identification is for daily life. Those living without drivers licenses or state IDs, however, are all too aware of the many situations that require ID. In fact, in the past 15 years, ID cards have been increasingly required to use common services. ID is needed for banking services, health care, pharmacies, library cards, rental applications, employment paperwork and even volunteering at a child’s school. For people without locally accepted forms of ID, the Johnson County Community ID is a way to engage and feel safe in their community. 

Monday is the two year anniversary of the Johnson County Community ID — one of the first county-issued photo IDs in the nation. The Board of Supervisors approved the policy, which evolved from the advocacy of the Center for Worker Justice and allies throughout the community. It aims to improve access to photo ID for those with barriers to Iowa driver’s licenses or state IDs, including the elderly, victims of natural disasters, international or out-of-state students, and some immigrants. Community IDs are issued by the office of County Auditor Travis Weipert.

Over the past two years, our evaluation team spoke with hundreds of Johnson County ID applicants through the Community ID Evaluation. The evaluation was a joint project of the Center for Worker Justice, the Johnson County Auditor’s Office, and the University of Iowa College of Public Health. ID users’ stories show the many ways ID is essential for daily life.

Of the 116 people we spoke to with no state ID, 91 percent said they had been denied service (for example, when applying for a bank account, signing a lease, or making a credit or debit card purchase) because they lacked ID. And even more respondents –– 92 percent of those we spoke with –– said they had avoided situations for fear of being asked for ID.

Life without photo ID can be stressful. As one resident said, “at any moment we can be asked for ID and we never know whether the ID we carry will work.” Lacking ID can be alienating as well. As one person told us, “Sometimes I feel sort of rejected: ‘You don’t have ID from Iowa — I can’t help you.’”

For these participants and many others, the Johnson County ID builds inclusion and belonging. After six months of using the ID, 84 percent of ID users we spoke with had successfully used their ID to access services within the county. These services included banks, libraries and health care clinics. 

The ID, however, isn’t perfect: 25 percent of ID users said their ID was rejected at some point during the first six months they had the ID. These reports highlight the need for the Johnson County ID to be more widely used and recognized within the community. 
To help build an inclusive community, we encourage all local businesses, landlords, and service agencies to accept the ID. We also encourage all residents of Johnson County — even those who have a driver’s license — to get a county ID and use it throughout the community. 

Increasing the visibility of the community ID will help make it more useful for our neighbors who need it most. And supporting confident engagement with businesses, schools, health care, and more makes a stronger and safer community for us all.

All Johnson County residents are invited to come celebrate the community ID and apply for their own ID card at an anniversary party at the County Auditor’s Office (913 S. Dubuque St. in Iowa City) from 2-5 p.m. on Monday. 

Irund A-wan works with the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, and Barbara Baquero, Marlén Mendoza, Nicole Novak, Xiomara Santana and Rosamond Smith are part of the University of Iowa College of Public Health.