Photographers and videographers who work at a political organization are looking very similar these days to the white house press corps with what appear to be press badges.  But they’re not — the bright photo badges worn around their necks are actually identification cards to ensure the staff gains access to political events where they track the activity of candidates.

As reported by Slate, the organization’s executive director explains the reasoning behind it: “You are often getting asked who you are and why you are videoing. The ID badges make those encounters easier … except in circumstances where the candidates aren’t having open events, our policy for full-time trackers is for them to be transparent about what they are doing.” Full-time trackers refer to the videographers and photographers tracking the event.

The presence of ID cards has generated a similar response to that of official press passes — a nod and wave of recognition by security staff, letting them know they can enter the event. Yet another unique use of ID cards we’ve seen this year.