Sixth state joins federal RIDE program enhancing I-9 document verification

North Dakota has become the sixth state to join an enhancement to E-Verify, known as the RIDE program, which provides additional verification of driver’s licenses and ID cards when employers are verifying employees’ employment eligibility.

The RIDE (“Records and Information from DMVs for E-Verify”) program links E-Verify with a state’s Department of Motor Vehicles records, allowing driver’s licenses and state ID cards submitted as I-9 identity documents to be matched against state records.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, driver’s licenses and state-issued ID cards make up nearly 80 percent of documents that employees submit as proof of identity for E-Verify. RIDE is intended to reduce document fraud and improve verification of work eligibility.

Other states currently participating in the RIDE program are Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi and Nebraska.

BAL Analysis: Employers who participate in E-Verify and whose states have joined the RIDE program may benefit from the extra layer of verification in the I-9 process.

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