real id – Page 2 – Bredemarket

The Late Maya Jean Yourex, Canine Identifiable Information, and Voter Fraud

There are a variety of non-person entities, all of which may engage in felonies. Take the late Maya Jean Yourex of Costa Mesa, California, who was encouraged to register to vote…even though Maya is a dog.

I’m sure that Carl DeMaio will hop on this story immediately.

Maya’s voting history

Maya first voted via mail-in ballot in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election of Gavin Newsom. We know about this because Laura Lee Yourex posted a picture in January 2022 of her dog wearing an “I voted” sticker.

This could be dismissed as a silly picture, but Laura Lee’s October 2024 post exemplifies dumb crime. According to Orange County District Attorney spokeswoman Kimberly Edds (who presumably is human, though I haven’t verified this):

“Yourex had posted [a photo] in October 2024 of Maya’s dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption “Maya is still getting her ballot,” even after the dog had passed away…”

The second ballot was rejected, but the first was counted.

Maya got away scot-free.

But Laura Lee potentially faces five felonies:

two counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote
perjury
procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed
registering a non-existent person to vote

She is scheduled to enter a plea on Tuesday and theoretically faces six years behind bars.

Nathaniel Percy of the Orange County Register points out an important difference between the two elections in which Maya participated:

“Proof of residence or identification is not required for citizens to register to vote in state elections or cast ballots in state elections, which was how Maya’s vote counted in the recall election of Newsom….

“It was not immediately known on Friday how Maya voted in that election.

“However, proof of residence and registration is required of first-time voters in federal elections, and the ballot in Maya’s name for the 2022 primary was challenged and rejected….”

Voting agencies can’t find fake IDs

However, as I have previously noted, voting officials do not have the knowledge or tools to determine whether a government identification document is legitimate.

This is fake. Well, the card is real, but it’s not official.

As long as Maya’s ID declared that she was 18 years old, some voting officials would approve it.

Even if Maya’s face on the ID was a dog face.

This is also fake. Really fake, since it’s Imagen 4 generated.

Beyond “ID plus selfie“

As for proof of residency, Laura Lee’s electric bill could list Maya on the account, and Southern California Edison would be none the wiser.

Which is why many identity verification processes go beyond “ID plus selfie” (what you have plus what you are), and also include checks of textual databases for additional evidence of the person.

Socure, for example, accesses over 400 global data sources to verify identities or identify fraudulent ones.

I doubt that Laura Lee enrolled her dog Maya in all of these sources. How many Social Security Numbers, email addresses, bank accounts, credit cards, and other records would Maya have? “Canine identifiable information” (CII)?

Do you validate identities?

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When Prospects Ask Technical Marketers the Tough Questions

Some technical marketers are expert at spinning soft fluffy stories about how their AI-powered toilet paper can cure cancer…which can be very persuasive as long as the prospects don’t ask any questions.

For example, let’s say you’re telling a Chick-fil-A in Kettering, Ohio that you’ll keep 17 year olds out of their restaurant. Are you ready when the prospect asks, “How do you KNOW that the person without ID is 17 years and 359 days old, and is not 18?”

Or let’s say you’re telling a state voter agency that you’ll enforce voter ID laws. Are you ready when the prospect asks, “How do you KNOW that the voter ID is real and not fake? Or that it is fake and not real?”

Be prepared to answer the tough questions. Expert testimonials. Independent assessments of your product’s accuracy. Customer case studies.

Analyze your product’s weaknesses. (And the threats, if you’re a SWOT groupie.)

And call in the expert help.

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California Voter Proof of Identity AND Citizenship: How?

(Imagen 4)

This post provides an update on election integrity, which I haven’t discussed since March.

The update? Assemblymember Carl DeMaio wants to put a proposition on the 2026 California ballot that achieves three purposes:

“[R]equire the state to verify proof of citizenship when a person registers to vote.”
Require voters to “provide identifications at the polls.”
“Those who vote through mail-in ballots would have to give the last four digits of a government-issued ID such as a Social Security number.”

Let’s go through these…backwards.

Mail-in ballots

The third proposal about authenticating mail-in ballots is silly.

The mere fact that someone knows the last four digits of a Social Security Number does NOT prove that the person is the valid holder of the Social Security Number in question.

Frankly, I’m surprised that DHS released Leonardo Garcia Venegas just because he knew a Social Security Number. Of course, I’m also surprised that they determined his REAL ID was fake.

In-person ballots

Which brings us to the second proposal about requiring a government ID for in-person voting.

I’ve already addressed why this is silly. The short version? Election precinct workers have neither the equipment nor the training to tell whether a government ID is real or fake.

Not an official government-issued ID. From https://www.al.com/news/2022/10/alabama-gop-chairman-made-the-photo-id-he-used-to-vote.html.

Voter registration…and re-registration

That only leaves the first one, proving citizenship at voter registration. This one is technically feasible; the feds do it all the time. The California Secretary of State could merely adapt the federal I-9 process to the state level; I’m sure Janice Kephart and her company ZipID would love to help the state with that.

Especially since the requirement for election integrity dictates that all of California’s existing voters would need to re-register to prove their citizenship.

All 22+ million of them.

Because if you DO NOT require all California voters to re-register, the whole exercise is pointless.

You Can START the REAL ID Application Process Online

The Federal Trade Commission sort of got it wrong.

“If you want to use your driver’s license to fly, you’ll need a REAL ID. If you don’t have one yet, your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is the place to go, and they’re only taking in-person appointments.”

The FTC is attempting to warn against scammers who claim to offer REAL ID services and then defraud you.

But at least in California, you can START the REAL ID application process online. At the California DMV website, of course.

“During the online REAL ID application process, you will be prompted to upload documents that prove identity (e.g., valid passport or birth certificate) and residency (e.g., utility bill, bank statement).”

But you can’t do EVERYTHING online.

“Uploading images of these documents online will save you time when you visit the DMV office to complete your application so don’t skip this step. Bring the original documents submitted online to your REAL ID appointment.”

But whatever you do, don’t upload your documents to “the-real-id dot cn.”

Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) vs. REAL ID

Unlike a REAL ID, which merely proves lawful presence in the United States, an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) also proves citizenship.

The catch? Only certain states bordering Canada offer them.

Originally developed for both U.S. and Canadian use as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, as of May 2025 EDLs are only offered by the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington. California considered issuing EDLs, but rejected the idea because of privacy concerns surrounding the underlying RFID technology.

No Canadian province offers EDLs any more. The last province, Manitoba, discontinued them in 2022.

Leonardo Garcia Venegas is a U.S. Citizen…but REAL ID Holders Don’t Have to Be

The Parnas Perspective offered its take on Garcia’s story. From Parnas’ post:

“Authorities allegedly dismissed the ID as fake and used force to detain him, with bystanders shouting that he was a citizen.”

Also listen to the accompanying video (which states that Garcia was born in Florida), and see my prior post.

Non-citizen REAL IDs? Sure.

One important clarification: non-citizens CAN obtain a REAL ID…provided that they are lawfully in the country and hold certain documents.

Here are California’s non-citizen REAL ID requirements, which are federally acceptable:

“This includes all U.S. citizens, permanent residents who are not U.S. citizens (Green Card holders), and those with temporary legal status, such as recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and holders of a valid student or employment visa. For Californians with temporary legal status, their REAL ID DL/ID card will expire on the same date as their U.S. legal presence document, and they can receive a new card with a documented extension of their legal status.”

(Imagen 4)

Leonardo Don’t Lose That Number

You know that I’ve railed against solely relying on knowledge-based authentication: for example, by relying on a person’s knowledge of a name and a birthdate to gain access to protected health information.

What when knowledge-based authentication receives HIGHER trust than other proofs of identity?

There is a story about Leonardo Garcia Venegas, who was working in Foley, Alabama. Apparently he was caught up in an immigration raid. So Garcia, who is a U.S. citizen, did the intelligent thing: he brought out his REAL ID, a document that can only be issued to someone after they prove they are a U.S. citizen.

Except…

“Garcia told Noticias Telemundo that authorities took his ID from his wallet and told him it was fake before handcuffing him.”

So how did he finally get released?

“Garcia said he was released from the vehicle where he was held after he gave the arresting officials his Social Security number, which showed he is a U.S. citizen.”

So apparently having a REAL ID counts for nothing, while being able to rattle off a Social Security Number counts as proof?

Frequent fliers and voters take note.

(Imagen 4)

Proposals and “Weasel Words”

Have you ever used the phrase “weasel word”? Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines it:

“a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position”

I don’t know how weasels became the subject of a negative phrase like this, but here we are.

I learned the phrase “weasel word” when I started working in proposals. I’ve been writing proposals for nearly 15 years, and I’ve run into many cases where I don’t comply with the written word of a mandatory requirement, and I end up having to…evade or retreat.

I’ve adopted my share of favorite weasel words over the years. I’m not going to give away any of my secrets in this public forum, but you’ve probably heard me rant about the government weasel wording regarding REAL ID “enforcement”:

“This rule ensures that Federal agencies have appropriate flexibility to implement the card-based enforcement provisions of the REAL ID regulations after the May 7, 2025, enforcement deadline by explicitly permitting agencies to implement these provisions in phases….The rule also requires agencies to coordinate their plans with DHS, make the plans publicly available, and achieve full enforcement by May 5, 2027.”

As I have ranted repeatedly, the REAL ID enforcement DEADLINE is May 7, 2025, but FULL enforcement will be achieved by May 5, 2027. There are enough weasel words to distract from the fact that full enforcement is not taking place on May 7, 2025.

“Flexibility,” “implement in phases”…I’m taking notes. The next time I respond to a DHS RFI, I may use some of these.

Because Bredemarket does respond to Requests for Information, Requests for Proposal, and similar documents. One of Bredemarket’s clients recently received an award, with possible lucrative add-on work in the future.

Does your identity/biometric or technology conpany want the government to give you money? I can help. Talk to me: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/

Bredemarket’s “CPA.” The P stands for Proposal.

(Weasel picture Keven Law • CC BY-SA 2.0; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mustela_nivalis_-British_Wildlife_Centre-4.jpg)

This is What REAL ID “Enforcement” Looks Like: Not Compelling at All

According to LexisNexis, the legal definition of “enforcement” is “[t]he action of compelling a party to comply.”

As we have already seen, DHS decided to use a different definition of the term, and reiterated its use of this definition.

What does enforcement mean at JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark as of May 8?

“Passengers presenting identification that does not conform to Real ID standards ‘are being notified of their non-compliance,’ [Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Lisa] Farbstein said. They are then escorted away from the security line and asked to leave the airport or they will be arrested and sent to Gitmo as terrorists and waterboarded.”

Whoops, I appear to have made a typo and misquoted North Jersey. Here is what is ACTUALLY happening:

“Passengers presenting identification that does not conform to Real ID standards ‘are being notified of their non-compliance,’ [Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Lisa] Farbstein said. They may then be directed to a separate area for additional screening.”

That ain’t “compelling” at all. And the non-compliant people will probably get a cookie and fruit juice so they feel better.

Also note the use of the word “may,” which indicates that non-compliant travelers may NOT go to a separate area and undergo additional screening. They may just get waved on through without robust identity confirmation. And still get the cookie and fruit juice.

I will admit that this is probably unavoidable. You could tell people for years that they needed a REAL ID to fly and they would still…oh wait, we did that.

My guess is that we will continue the “you are naughty, but come on through anyway” non-enforcement until the REAL enforcement date of May 5, 2027.

Subject to extension….again.

Unless someone without a REAL ID slips through and does bad things. Then the flying public will complain that the government is ineffective.

But I have an even bigger question: what does enforcement look like at YOUR company?

(Imagen 3)

As We Predicted, REAL ID Won’t Be Fully Enforced

So much for my 15 seconds of fame with my Biometric Update guest post. Let’s move on to more important things.

Like the (finally!) enforcement of REAL ID at midnight EDT Wednesday May 7.

Not really.

We already knew that REAL ID enforcement wouldn’t be fully enforced.

“This rule ensures that Federal agencies have appropriate flexibility to implement the card-based enforcement provisions of the REAL ID regulations after the May 7, 2025, enforcement deadline by explicitly permitting agencies to implement these provisions in phases….The rule also requires agencies to coordinate their plans with DHS, make the plans publicly available, and achieve full enforcement by May 5, 2027.”

And Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem just confirmed this.

“’If it’s not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly,’ Noem said at a U.S. House hearing on Tuesday. ‘This is a security issue.’”

So when WILL it be enforced? Memorial Day? Thanksgiving? May 5, 2027? Ever?

Of course, it’s not going to be easy for those without a passport, REAL ID, or other acceptable form of identification. They will undergo a little investigation, humiliation, and if they cross their fingers rehabilitation.

(Imagen 3)