EDITORIAL: Real ID battle must be waged smartly

Gov. Steve Bullock sent the Department of Homeland Security a letter Tuesday asking the federal agency to suspend implementation of the Real ID Act and accept Montana driver licenses as secure forms of identification.

While we agree with the governor’s intention, his timing was awful: Montana’s waiver of participation actually expired the day before, on Monday.

The Real ID Act was passed in 2005, and was intended to fight terrorism by improving the reliability of state-issued identification documents. Bullock’s predecessor, Gov. Brian Schweitzer, had opposed the program as typical federal overreach, and the state Legislature voted unanimously in 2007 not to comply with the requirements of Real ID. State officials are convinced that our current procedures do ensure the reliability of Montana driver licenses and they have refused to give in to federal pressure.

The state has already been granted two one-year extensions, but those have now run out.

Perhaps Bullock’s administration has been working behind the scenes to convince Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to provide yet another extension, but wishful thinking is not enough. If the state fails to comply, then by January 2018, Montanans will need an alternative form of ID to enter federal facilities or to board an airplane.

Maybe the next president will seek to change the policy, but if not, either Gov. Bullock or his Republican opponent, Greg Gianforte, will have to show renewed leadership on this issue during the 2017 legislative session.

While state sovereignty is important, we can’t afford to leave air travel and access to military installations to chance.