Pa. voter ID bill heads toward final Senate vote

A bill to require voters to show certain photo identification before their vote can be counted in Pennsylvania is advancing in the state Legislature, despite Democrats labeling it as a voter suppression attempt.

The Republican-penned bill is scheduled for a Senate vote later this week after the Appropriations Committee approved it yesterday.

The Senate has expanded its list of acceptable IDs, and House approval is needed before it goes to Gov. Tom Corbett.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi says the bill is a common-sense idea to advance the election integrity. But Democrats say cases of voter fraud hardly exist and the requirement would add hurdles for the elderly, disabled and minorities.

Voter identification has been a hot topic in state legislatures and 15 states require voters to show photo ID.