What to Do When the BMV Rejects Your Documents: Amanda’s Story

When Amanda arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, in December 2024, she knew it would take a while to settle into her new home. At the top of her list was getting an Ohio state ID so she could find work and vote. Her first trip to her local Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), however, was not at all what she’d expected. Equipped with her old Texas state ID, birth certificate, and Social Security card, Amanda thought she was ready to get her state ID. Unfortunately, she was wrong. 

The BMV clerk said she would need official proof of residence, not just mail addressed to her new home. Amanda was still navigating her home city and didn’t know what to do next. The clerk suggested she buy a fishing license, because that would count as proof of her residency. But Amanda doesn’t fish. 

With no other option, she thanked the clerk and set out to find a sporting goods store where she paid $25 for a fishing license she could neither afford nor use.

When Amanda returned to the same BMV a few days later, she was certain that now she could get the ID she so badly needed. As she handed over her paperwork, the clerk told her this time that her birth certificate and Social Security card were too worn to use and, because she had been married, they would also need to see her marriage license to confirm the change in her last name. Fortunately, Amanda did have her marriage license at home, so she left again, hoping that with this addition, she would finally be able to get her ID the next time.

They say “third time’s a charm”—but not for Amanda. When she returned to the same BMV (she didn’t know where else to go), the clerk rejected her paperwork again, telling her that the information on the birth certificate and the numbers on her Social Security card were “illegible.” Amanda’s heart sank. She couldn’t afford to pay for new copies.  

She was living in a new city on a fixed income with no ID, no job, and nowhere to turn. 

Months went by, and Amanda began to think she would never be able to get her Ohio State ID. But then, a neighbor suggested they make the short trip to an event sponsored by Hamilton County’s 513Relief Bus Services, an initiative that began during the COVID-19 pandemic to get critical health and social services to at-risk neighborhoods throughout Cincinnati and Hamilton County. 

As Travina Adams, the 513Relief Bus Program Manager, explains, “Our goal is to provide services to residents so when they get off the bus, they get off with something they didn’t have when they got on. It’s giving them something tangible.”

VoteRiders volunteers in Cincinnati began partnering with 513Relief in December 2023 by hosting Voter ID Assistance Clinics on site to help voters with their birth certificates, state IDs, Social Security cards, and voter registration. Over the course of the past two and a half years, VoteRiders, in partnership with 513Relief, has participated in over 20 different events in various Ohio neighborhoods, churches, and senior centers in collaboration with the Hamilton County Reentry program. Travina and her team also regularly pass out VoteRiders’ Ohio Voter ID Information Cards to neighbors at the events, and, in case of urgent needs, Travina will refer voters directly to VoteRiders if they need free ID assistance. 

That’s how the VoteRiders team met Amanda. 

When we called Amanda in mid-April, she was exhausted and felt she had run out of options. Little did Amanda know that once you’re connected with VoteRiders, we will walk with you no matter where we need to go.

First, we ordered Amanda a new birth certificate—even though her original copy was acceptable—and had it expedited because she needed her ID as soon as possible for employment, healthcare, and other important services. Once her birth certificate arrived, we scheduled a Lyft to take her to a friendlier and more accommodating BMV, where one of our volunteers met her to provide support and advocate on her behalf, if necessary. 

Aside from a new birth certificate copy, Amanda brought all of the same ID documents she presented to the other BMV months earlier. Unlike her other experiences, this time, the clerk was pleasant and accommodating. The clerk had no trouble reading Amanda’s Social Security card and even helped her fill out her application for an Ohio state ID. Plus, the clerk asked her if she wanted to register to vote! Amanda quickly informed them that she already had.

Despite the heartbreaking difficulty Amanda faced getting something so critical to her well-being, her journey ended happily thanks to our powerful partnership with 513Relief. 

Together, one life at a time, we’re helping our friends and neighbors feel how valued they are, how important their voice is, and what a difference their vote can make for our shared future. 

If you or someone you know needs ID information or assistance, call or text our Voter ID Helpline at 866-432-8643 or visit VoteRiders.org/help to learn more about how we can help.

Shelly Bromberg is a VoteRiders Voter ID Assistance Volunteer.

May 22, 2025.