Voter ID set for Pa. House vote

Pennsylvania’s House Republican leader says his chamber will take up a Senate-passed voter ID bill Monday.

After expected passage, it will go to the governor for his signature.

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai says voter ID comes down to upholding the constitutional principle of one person, one vote.

“It’s an important principle and we need to adhere to it,” he said.

Keesha Gaskins, with the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law says that argument is telling of the lack of evidence that voter fraud is a problem, says Keesha Gaskins of the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.

“We’re now falling back on the idea of a principle to enact a law that actually restricts the vote,” Gaskins said.

But Gaskins also said there is no evidence such a law would disenfranchise voters who don’t already have photo identification.

Since the Senate got hold of the bill, its list of acceptable forms of identification has expanded, with the blessing of the bill’s sponsor.

The state will issue free photo IDs to those without them, but critics contend getting to a location where the IDs would be issued could be a hardship for many.

Acceptable forms of photo ID under the bill include a driver’s license or non-driver’s license from PennDOT, county and municipal employee ID, as well as ID from the federal government, a Pennsylvania accredited college or university, or a Pennsylvania care facility.