They're making it even more difficult to get a passport

[Tanuki]

https://whyy.org/articles/state-department-orders-nonprofit-libraries-stop-passport-applications/?utm_campaign=sproutsocial&utm_content=1771013015&utm_medium=post&utm_source=twitter
"The U.S. State Department has ordered certain public libraries nationwide to cease processing passport applications, disrupting a long-standing service that librarians say their communities have come to rely on and that has run smoothly for years.

The agency, which regulates U.S. passports, began issuing cease and desist orders to not-for-profit libraries in late fall, informing them they were no longer authorized to participate in the Passport Acceptance Facility program as of Friday.

“We still get calls daily seeking that service,” said Cathleen Special, executive director of the Otis Library in Norwich, Connecticut, where passport services were offered for 18 years but ceased in November after receiving the letter. “Our community was so used to us offering this.”
.....
The American Library Association estimates about 1,400 mostly non-profit public libraries nationwide could potentially be affected, or about 15% of all public libraries, depending on how many offer passport services.
....
The lawmakers’ letter said people will have to travel long distances, take unpaid time off from work or forgo getting a passport when demand is surging due to Real ID requirements. If Republicans in Congress impose strict new voting rules, citizens could need their passport or birth certificate to register. People fearing immigration agents are also increasingly carrying passports to confirm their citizenship."..... (more)

[ret5hd]

1. just keep repeating...

the fence was to keep people OUT.

[MichMan]

2. Aren't they available at nearly every Post Office ?

I live in a rural area and I got mine in our local small town Post Office.

[gopiscrap]

3. they were.... I went in 2014

to get mine renewed maybe if it is a first time passport you have to go elsewhere, I don't know. if that is the case or not. I have never had to get a first time passport as an adult, I have always had one

[radical noodle]

9. I just applied through my local Post Office

They were very efficient and also offered the photo service as well.

[summer_in_TX]

10. Some post offices do.

Mine does. Others in the county may have just one and it may be harder to get an appointment where the area is more populated. The county seat in my county is larger. I tried to help a friend get a passport there and it was considerably more difficult to get an appointment to apply for a passport.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. This, combined with the Save Act...

It's intentional.

[vapor2]

5. I have 2 yrs left so should I renew now?

[tinrobot]

7. You can't renew until it's less than one year left.

I just renewed mine online had to wait until the one year mark passed.

Very easy process. From the time I submitted the application until I got the replacement was less than two weeks.

[Beatlelvr]

6. Whatever the reason

You know it's got to be nefarious.

[Emile]

8. I no longer recognize this country anymore.

[vapor2]

11. Me neither and makes us so so sad

Depending on future events, even considering another country (if we can get out)

[ribrepin]

12. Does anyone know if you can use a passport card as identification?

I have a messed up birth certificate and couldn't get an enhanced driver's license. The DOL suggested that I get a passport. The passport process went smoothly and I got a card and not the book. I'm wondering if the card will work for voting?

[Tanuki]

13. Yes, a passport card will be acceptable.

https://www.voteriders.org/factcheck-org-will-save-act-prevent-married-women-from-registering-to-vote/

..."According to the bill, valid forms of documentary proof include a U.S. passport; a REAL ID-compliant ID that indicates U.S. citizenship, such as an enhanced driver’s license, which is available in a few states; a government-issued photo ID showing the U.S. as the applicant’s birthplace, such as a passport card; and a U.S. military ID if shown alongside a military record of service showing the U.S. as the applicant’s birthplace.

Applicants may also present other government-issued photo IDs if they are shown alongside a certified birth certificate, a record of birth from a U.S. hospital, adoption records, a consular birth report, a naturalization certificate or an American Indian card with the classification “KIC,” designating U.S. citizenship for Mexican-born members of the Kickapoo tribes of Texas and Oklahoma.

Read the full article at FactCheck.org."