State senator Donny Olson has written to Governor Mike Dunleavy concerning the REAL ID deadline and additional funding for outreach in rural communities. He states that Governor Dunleavy and President Trump have an obligation to make sure the ID mandate is put into place correctly so as not to infringe upon the rights of Alaskans to travel. As of October 1, 2020 a REAL ID, passport or a Bureau of Indian Affairs card with a photo will be required for any commercial air travel and also to enter federal buildings or military bases. Alaskans in remote communities need to travel by air for medical reasons. In order to apply for a REAL ID they will need to fly to their nearest Division of Motor Vehicles location in cities such as Nome or Bethel and this is costly for Alaskans.
Senator Olson said in his letter to Governor Dunleavy that the state should be doing everything possible to reach out to rural Alaskans to be REAL ID compliant by the deadline and suggested a rural outreach program whereby officials make multiple visits to villages.
