A fresh push for photo IDs at Pennsylvania polling places

Pennsylvania’s top election official says she’s in favor of a state law to require residents to show photo identification at the ballot box.  Carol Aichele, the commonwealth’s Secretary of State, says her department aims to protect every Pennsylvanian’s right to vote. She says if a voter identification law were signed, a person would only be able to cast a ballot in person or by mail after proving three things: his or her identity as a U.S. citizen; state residency; and whether they are 18 years or older.”Those are the requirements. The voting requirements are pretty generous,” she said.  Aichele says 99 percent of Pennsylvanians already have government-issued photo IDs.   She discussed the issue recently at the annual conference of state election officials which was held in Lancaster County.In state House debate over the measure this spring, Democrats decried a voter ID requirement as an unnecessary barrier to voting.Former Governor Ed Rendell vetoed a 2006 bill to require voters to present identification.