VoteRiders Helps a Texas Voter Get Her ID After Years of Trying: Caroline’s Story
Caroline never had to prove her US citizenship — until her documents were stolen.
Born in the Philippines to an American mother fifty-four years ago, Caroline moved to the US as a young child. She hadn’t gone through the bureaucratic hoops to obtain documentation proving her citizenship, she said, because “I didn’t think it was that important. I’ve been here since I was nine years old.”
But in 2022, Caroline’s home in Dallas, Texas was broken into and her Social Security card, state ID, and other vital documents were all stolen. For the next four years, Caroline tried to replace her documents with no success. Every month for four years, Caroline visited the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) only to be turned away each time and told that she needed yet another piece of identification.
After the DPS rejected photos of her documents that she had stored on her phone, Caroline had to ask her sister, who lives in the Philippines, to mail her numerous documents including her birth certificate and a letter her grandfather wrote to her grandmother while he was stationed in the Marines. Shipping all of these documents overseas took time, and Caroline was afraid her only remaining proof of identity would get damaged or lost in the mail.
Luckily, her paperwork arrived safely, but it still wasn’t enough to secure a new ID. At this point, Caroline’s rent had increased, and she really needed a new job. But with no ID, she didn’t see how this would be possible. With no idea how to move forward, Caroline contacted the South Dallas Employment Project for help.
Their solution was VoteRiders.
A South Dallas Employment Project employee connected Caroline to Cecile, a VoteRiders Voter ID Assistance volunteer who assured Caroline that VoteRiders would help her get all of her documents for free — so she could finally vote in Texas.
“Cecile was patient, she believed in me,” Caroline said. “Most places forget about you — not VoteRiders. VoteRiders believes in people.”
With VoteRiders’ help, Caroline finally tracked down the remaining documentation she needed. Within one week, she had an appointment at the Social Security Administration and the DPS to obtain her new Social Security card and Texas State ID. Caroline is disabled and relies on public transportation, so VoteRiders’ offer to cover all transportation costs to ID-issuing offices made all the difference.
“I had problems with the DPS before, but I didn’t have any problems at all that day,” she laughed. “I wanted to scream and holler and I said ‘thank you, Jesus’ because I was praying for it.”
Now that Caroline has her long-awaited state ID, she’ll be able to vote in Texas and be afforded greater peace of mind during an uncertain time for immigrants and US citizens alike.
“I love the USA, and I’m proud to be an American. The military fights for our country and we, as individuals, should fight for who we want our leaders to be. People think they don’t have any leverage when they vote, but they do…Our communities need help. Together, I think we can do it.”