whereas previously all states kinda did their own thing
This can’t be emphasized enough. Different states had (and still have) wildly different standards for what is required to get a basic Driver’s License or ID Card. Making a unified standard needed to happen, even if the way Real ID was implemented was… let’s say “problematic”.
AFAIK you can still get a non-Real ID compliant license in almost every state, though for some the difference in documentation requirements are all but nonexistent. Here in Nevada the only difference in required documents is that you can’t use a Prison Identification Card to get a Real ID.
This can’t be emphasized enough. Different states had (and still have) wildly different standards for what is required to get a basic Driver’s License or ID Card. Making a unified standard needed to happen, even if the way Real ID was implemented was… let’s say “problematic”.
AFAIK you can still get a non-Real ID compliant license in almost every state, though for some the difference in documentation requirements are all but nonexistent. Here in Nevada the only difference in required documents is that you can’t use a Prison Identification Card to get a Real ID.