WITF: Path forward for voter ID in Pa., as long as it “doesn’t disenfranchise”
By Jordan Wilkie/WITF
Pennsylvanians want electoral reform. Voter ID’s political path forward will thread a needle.
By Jordan Wilkie/WITF
Pennsylvanians want electoral reform. Voter ID’s political path forward will thread a needle.
A Republican lawmaker’s bill to tighten voter ID requirements in Pennsylvania may be part of a compromise with Democrats on a larger set of election reforms.
The bill by state Rep. Tom Mehaffie III, R-Dauphin, meets a key Democratic Party condition — that voter ID not disenfranchise any voters.
“Maybe it doesn’t go far enough for some. Maybe it goes too far for others,” he said. “I think it meets in the middle and that’s what we’re really trying to do.”
Mehaffie’s bill would create a “non-strict” ID requirement, the kind already in place in 24 of the 36 states with voter ID requirements, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. In non-strict states, voters without ID or who simply forget to bring theirs to the polls can still cast regular ballots by signing an affirmation or getting another voter to vouch for their identity.
“I hope this is part of a bigger, more broad election code change,” Mehaffie said. “I think it’s gonna make it better for the voter.”
House Democrats are interested in reforms to expand the pre-canvassing period, which would allow counties to process but not count mail-in ballots before Election Day. They also want to clarify mail-in voting rules, such as when and how voter errors on return envelopes can be corrected, and to create a formal early voting process, said House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia.
At an elections reform event in early March, McClinton said she had not yet spoken to Senate leadership about an election reform bill. Negotiations could start this week, she said.
Greg Rothman, leader of Pennsylvania’s Republican State Committee, said voter ID and early in-person voting are crucial election reforms for his caucus.
Mehaffie’s bill, based on an amendment passed out of the House at the end of last session, is one of five Republican-introduced proposals to expand voter ID requirements. State Rep. Clint Owlet, R-Tioga, introduced a bill with strict requirements. State Reps. David Zimmerman, R-Lancaster, and Thomas Kutz, R-Cumberland, each introduced constitutional amendments that would require a strict voter ID rule. Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, R-Berks, says she’ll do the same in the Senate.
Read the full article at witf.org.
March 17, 2025.
Congressional Republicans are pushing a bill that would make sweeping changes to voter registration, including requiring those signing up to present documents proving U.S. citizenship. But tens of millions of Americans say they don’t have easy access to such documents, and critics say the proposal would dramatically depress voter participation.
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