Implementing an ID Policy in Utah Jeff Duncan, Director Office of Vital Records and Statistics
Background Utah is a closed-record state No ID requirement before 2004 Identity theft/national security concerns led to need for change -- “I’m surprised we’re not already doing this” Executive Director, Utah DOH
We always wanted to do this but… …there were many questions: Will we have to change a statute or rule? Will the local registrars put up a fight? What is ID, anyway? What will happen to rejection rates? How do we let the public know about the new requirement? How will our customers react?
Legal Basis Utah statute doesn’t mention ID but gives authority to create rules Already written in rule: “…registrar may require identification of the applicant or a sworn statement.” Attorneys liked the rule as-is
What is ID? Authentication—process of confirming a claimed identity Information security theory identifies three ways of authentication: Something you know Something you have Something you are There are no clear standards for ‘something you have’
What is ID?
Communicating with the public Advertising: posters and flyers Notice on website, phone message No Media ‘Soft’ ID requirement on January 1, 2004 ‘Hard’ ID requirement on March 1, 2004
Results Well received by local registrars and public Counter Mail 130+ requests per day at state office 1-2 rejected per day for ID Mail Average 1800 requests per month Over 30% returned initially C
Results--Mail
Next Steps Revisit the question “What is ID?” Matricula Consular Driver privilege card Authenticating mail and internet requests