A Denver driver’s license office is pictured outside on Aug. 1, the first day the office is issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants who can’t “demonstrate lawful presence in the U.S.” The people pictured are not necessarily immigrants. (Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post)
Re: “Immigrants here illegally begin receiving Colorado driver licenses,” Aug. 2 news story.
The League of Women Voters supported Senate Bill 251, the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act, because it encourages residents to pass a driving test and secure insurance before driving on Colorado roads. It will probably decrease the number of hit and runs, according to police testimony. Eligible drivers must show proof of residency and pay taxes, so not everyone who applies will get a license.
Only five of 40 Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles offices now accept applications by appointment, and there are an estimated 45,000 people eligible.
It will take many years to process all these drivers, and some of them may have to drive many hours to get to an office to take their test, risking a citation if they are stopped.
The DMV should train more employees so that every office in the state can process potential applicants.
Bobbie Heisterkamp, Denver
The writer is president of the League of Women Voters of Colorado.
This letter was published in the Aug. 14 edition.
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