Pa. will issue IDs just for voting

There’s a new twist to the debate over Pennsylvania’s voter ID law. The state is creating a new identification card, just for voting.

Lack of a birth certificate had become the sticking point for many, especially elderly voters. Without one, they couldn’t get a regular state ID from PennDOT. The new identification card won’t require applicants to provide a birth certificate.Nick Winkler, director of public relations for the Department of State, said Secretary Carol Aichele “has been tasked with making sure that all 8.2 million voters, have the acceptable form of ID, so they are not denied the right to vote.”Applicants for the new voter cards must provide two proofs of residence, their date of birth, and Social Security number. The new IDs won’t become available from PennDOT until the end of August.”They’re basically making the rules up as they go along,” says Faye Anderson, an activist on voter ID issues in Philadelphia, “adding further confusion into the process.”She says there’s nothing good about requiring voters to show ID at the polls, but if the change makes getting an ID less of a burden, that’s probably a good thing.