mDLs receive final approval in Illinois, not for voting in Ohio

Mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) are coming to Illinois, after Governor J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 4592 into law this week.

The bill authorizes the issuance of digitized versions of driver’s license and Illinois Identification Cards, as of January 1, 2025.

State government agencies and businesses will be barred from requiring the digital ID, and leave it up to them whether to accept it at all. Drivers will still have to carry their physical license in case a law enforcement officer demands to see it. The law makes it illegal for officers presented with a phone to see the mDL to then search the phone without consent, after amendments were made to the bill to address a prominent concern. Officers are also shielded from liability for damage to the device, except in cases of misconduct.

The Secretary of State’s Office is now expected to run a bidding process for a vendor to supply the mDL.

No voting with Ohio mDL

Meanwhile, on the other side of Indiana, Ohio driver’s licenses and state ID cards can be added to Apple Wallets, and used for age verification, but they cannot be used for voter ID.

Polling places do not yet have the scanners they would need to accept mDLs, reports NBC affiliate WKYC.

Despite being only available on iPhones and Apple Watches, nearly 75,000 Ohioans registered mDLs in the first two days after the program’s launch.

Roughly a quarter of all U.S. states now have mDLs available, and another quarter are working towards launching them.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  driver's license  |  identity document  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  mobile app  |  Ohio