REAL ID

You really need to check your license.

This is the worst kind of surprise if you're a believer in democracy and enthusiastically want to let your voice be heard in an election.

I've never claimed to be a math genius, but I've lost count of the number of times there has been a change announced to the ongoing Real ID effort in Illinois and the word is another one could be in the works.

In case you didn't know, there is a deadline approaching in Illinois for you to get your Real ID. That day on the calendar will happen sooner than you think and it's something you need to do - or else.

Discover the new deadline for implementing the REAL ID Act in Illinois.

With the amount of delays and postponements in almost every aspect of our lives that we've had to deal with over the last year, why not add in one more?

You might remember me telling you exactly one week ago that you only had 6 months before the new deadline to get an Illinois REAL ID card. Yeah, well...forget all that.

It's perfectly understandable that you may have forgotten about Illinois' REAL ID while dealing with a more than a year of pandemic-related issues. I'm just here to remind you that Federal enforcement of REAL ID begins for commercial domestic air travel in just six months.

If you've received a text message offering you the chance to update or "upgrade" your Illinois Driver's License to an Illinois Real ID, let's hope you deleted it and blocked the sender.

On October 1st, 2020, about 13 months from now, travelers will not be allowed to board a flight without a REAL ID, or some kind of alternative identification such as a passport.