DMVs need consistent rules

Before driver's licenses can be used as a national ID card, procedures among the states need to be strengthened and standardized, according to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
Each state has its own set of rules for issuing IDs, the group said.

The lack of uniformity has resulted in "a mixed bag of exploitable processes and procedures," such as different definitions of residency and more than 200 valid forms of identification issued by states.

In response to the report, the American Civil Liberties Union called on Congress and the Bush administration to reject any proposal that would turn the driver's licensing system of the 50 states into a de facto national ID.

Calling the group's proposal a "backdoor national ID," ACLU officials said a national ID system, de facto or otherwise, would be largely ineffective against terrorism and pose enormous threats to individual freedom in the United States.