Municipal ID would make Wyandotte County residents count in 2020 census

The 2020 U.S. Census offers the best argument yet for a Wyandotte County municipal ID ordinance.

A higher, more accurate count of our community means more federal resources, since the government apportions those resources according to population. A municipal ID would help identify people whom the count likely would miss, such as the elderly, immigrants and the homeless, among others.

We have so much to gain by doing the appropriate thing, and so much to lose if we don’t.

A municipal ID card is a form of photo identification issued by a city or county government. It can be used to prove a person’s identity within the city or county limits or to access services from any institution that agrees to accept the card as proof of identity.

It would not grant driving privileges or replace federally issued identification required for travel as a driver’s license or passport would.

It would, however, help as many as 30,000 people in Wyandotte County — one in five residents there — obtain identification. People without identification can’t open bank accounts, cash checks, register children for school or fill prescriptions.