Because they probably can't. Reasonable requirements to get a government-issued photo ID would probably get an ID into very few hands that don't already have one--and ID suddenly wouldn't be a political issue any longer. For example, here are the requirements to get a government-issued ID in one of the most Democratic-leaning states in the country:

To get a learner's permit, driver’s license, or Mass ID in Massachusetts, you’ll need to provide proof of citizenship or lawful presence, a Social Security number, and Massachusetts residency. Learn what documents you can use below.

https://www.mass.gov/guides/massachusetts-identification-id-...

No reasonable scheme is going to involve just going online, filling in an unverified name, uploading a picture, and getting a card in the mail a week later for free. (Or going into an office.)

> No reasonable scheme is going to involve just going online, filling in an unverified name, uploading a picture, and getting a card in the mail a week later for free. (Or going into an office.)

Yeah, that's not a reasonable process. The one I envisioned was to have an agency 1) proactively make contact (perhaps like the census), 2) do the legwork of verifying identity (e.g. request birth certificates, checking against other official records), and 3) pay for the ID and any fees along the way.

If someone doesn't have a government ID, the state probably doesn't even have current contact information for them, know whether they're a resident or not, or perhaps even know they exist.

> If someone doesn't have a government ID, the state probably doesn't even have current contact information for them, know whether they're a resident or not, or perhaps even know they exist.

That's why I was saying like the census. The idea is cover all individuals by canvassing all the places they could reasonably be living. All the collective levels of government certainly have near-complete records of that.

Don't some US organisms like the IRS or Social Security know everybody living in the US?