Have U.S. states added or removed Enhanced Driver’s License programs since 2020, and why?
Executive summary
Since 2020 no U.S. state has broadly terminated an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) program; five northern-border states—Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington—continue to issue EDLs and remain the primary issuers in the United States [1] [2] [3]. States have debated or pursued additions: Ohio passed enabling legislation in 2023 to offer an EDL though rollout remained pending as of the latest reporting, and other states have considered EDLs in earlier years but either stalled or were blocked over privacy and cost concerns [4] [5] [6].
1. The status quo: who issues EDLs and what that means
EDLs are currently available to residents of five U.S. states—Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington—and function as both a driver’s license and a limited travel document for land and sea crossings, not air travel, under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative [1] [2] [7]. The Department of Homeland Security and other travel guides note EDLs include technology such as RFID chips, a machine-readable zone or barcode that facilitates border processing and that EDLs are accepted as REAL ID-compliant alternatives for federal purposes [7] [1] [8].
2. Additions since 2020: limited movement, one legislative step
Movement to add EDL programs at the state level has been sporadic rather than sweeping: Ohio enacted legislation in 2023 to offer EDLs, signaling an intention by at least one additional state to join the five issuers, but practical availability for residents remained pending in subsequent reporting [4] [5]. Reporting and policy summaries show other states have at times considered EDLs—Arizona, California and Texas have been cited as exploring or attempting programs—but those efforts encountered political, privacy or gubernatorial obstacles rather than resulting in new, active programs since 2020 [9] [6] [5].
3. Why states add EDLs: border convenience, REAL ID alignment, and local demand
States that adopt EDLs typically justify them as low-cost, convenient travel documents for frequent land and sea crossers who live near borders, providing proof of citizenship and speeding border processing while also meeting REAL ID security standards, a practical benefit emphasized by DHS and state motor vehicle agencies [7] [8] [2]. Proponents argue EDLs are a practical alternative to passports for residents who routinely travel by car or ferry to neighboring countries, and DHS has repeatedly listed EDLs as acceptable alternatives for federal identification purposes [7] [8].
4. Why states halt or avoid EDLs: privacy, security, cost and low demand
Opposition or abandonment has hinged on privacy and security concerns tied to RFID chips and the underlying databases, with advocates and some governors arguing that RFID technology could enable unwanted tracking or law-enforcement access, and research has historically flagged vulnerabilities in implementations [6] [5]. Canadian provinces abandoned EDL programs for cost and demand reasons—Ontario ended its program in 2019 and British Columbia and Manitoba phased theirs out in 2021–22 citing savings and low uptake—which illustrates that fiscal calculations and insufficient local demand can drive discontinuation even when border convenience exists [4].
5. The policy tug-of-war and what to watch next
The EDL story since 2020 is therefore one of cautious, localized expansion rather than broad adoption or rollback: the five issuing U.S. states remain in place, Ohio has moved legislatively toward offering an EDL, and stalled or blocked efforts in larger states reflect privacy and political trade-offs that continue to shape outcomes [1] [4] [6]. The continued federal REAL ID timeline and any future federal actions—such as statutory changes affecting identity documents—could alter incentives for states to add or drop EDLs, but the current public record shows no wave of U.S. state removals since 2020 and only limited additions or planned additions [8] [10].