Implementing the REAL ID Act: Intergovernmental Conflict and Cooperation in Homeland Security Policy

This article examines implementation of the REAL ID Act of 2005, a post-9/11 measure intended to make driver’s licenses more secure. I take the opportunity, fifteen years after the Act’s passage and approaching a key October 2020 deadline, to analyze and explain how federal officials overcame obstacles to REAL ID implementation, especially resistance from elected state officials. I conclude that the role of administrative officials within the Department of Homeland Security and their ability to work with administrative officials in state Department of Motor Vehicle offices was critical to overcoming state resistance and leading states to come into alignment with REAL ID requirements. A key lesson is that overcoming state–federal conflict in policy implementation is possible when administrative officials at the state and federal level are key actors and can collaborate and perceive common interests. This analysis demonstrates the importance of direct interaction between federal and state administrative officials in program implementation.