Pennsylvania Republicans Try to Force House Vote on Voter ID

Voters must show identification to vote in 36 states, but no voter ID is required in 14—mostly Democratic—states, including Pennsylvania.

Republicans in Pennsylvania are trying to change that with a constitutional amendment. To change the state Constitution, a resolution must pass in two consecutive legislative sessions, and then the measure goes to voters to decide. It does not require the governor’s signature.

A voter ID measure did pass in the last session, but then, power in the House changed and it stalled. Pennsylvania currently has the most divided government in the nation, with a Democrat governor, a Republican Senate, and a Democrat House.

“For nearly a year, this legislation has sat in committee. And that is despite poll after poll after poll telling us that requiring identification to vote at each and every election is supported on a broad, bipartisan basis,” House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler said in a press conference at the state capitol in Harrisburg on March 25.

“Time is of the essence. The 2024 general election is going to be one of the highest turnout elections in Pennsylvania history. Putting a voter identification constitutional amendment on the ballot for this November guarantees that the most voices have a say in this very important issue.” To do that, the proposed amendment must get through the General Assembly by early July. That would allow time for the legal advertising required before the question can be added to the November 2024 ballot.

Discharge Resolution

Republicans will try to force the measure out of committee through a “discharge resolution process.” This will require 50 House members to sign a petition, 25 Republicans and 25 Democrats, saying the bill should be discharged from the committee. Republicans figure they are close to that because 22 Democrats signed the measure last session; only three more are needed, assuming all 22 sign the discharge resolution.
During the press conference, Republicans posted a sign listing the names of Democrats who supported the measure last session.

“If your polling site is at a library, and all you will be doing on Election Day is voting, you don’t need an ID to prove who you are,” said House Republican State Government Committee Chairman Brad Roae. “But if you plan to sign out a library book after you vote, they won’t let you, unless you have an ID. There are stronger rules in place for signing out a ‘Curious George’ book for your kids than there are for voting. That seems really backwards.”

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Calling it an election security issue, Mr. Roae said election officials should confirm that people who vote are who they say they are. He cited a poll showing 80 percent of voters want voter ID, including 62 percent of Democrats polled.

He also expressed frustration with the laws that have been passed through the State Government Committee.

“We’ve passed 74 pieces of legislation, and 37 of them did nothing other than name things. There have been 31 symbolic resolutions to name certain days, certain weeks, and certain months after different things. And there’s been six bills to name new state holidays and new state symbols. But none of those things actually help make our lives better,” Mr. Roae said.

Republicans will try to advance the discharge resolution this week.

Pennsylvania does require voters to show ID the first time they vote in a new precinct. After that, no ID is required year after year.

Republicans said they would allow people to get identification at no cost, and they would accept an ID with no photo. Pennsylvania’s large Amish community is not required to have a photo on their state-issued identification.

Pennsylvania Democrats have long opposed voter ID, saying it would disenfranchise voters, especially nonwhite voters.

Last week House Democrats proposed changing state voting rules to allow same-day voting and early voting up to two weeks before election day.