Pa. makes more changes to try to save photo ID law
By The Associated Press
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state officials today once again produced an 11th-hour attempt to salvage a tough, new law requiring all voters to show a particular kind of photo ID in the hours before a court hearing on whether it will effectively strip some people of the right to vote this year.
Top Corbett administration officials testified in Commonwealth Court that a newly streamlined process for get a voting-only photo ID card from the state was finalized Monday night in an effort to satisfy a week-old Supreme Court decision that insisted the state comply with the liberal access to a photo ID that the law seemed to promise. The new process was supposed to become effective this morning.
Under the latest system, a registered voter will no longer be required to first try to get a “secure” photo ID from the state that can be used for non-voting purposes, such as cashing a check or boarding an airplane. Also, the person seeking the voting-only photo ID will no longer need to show two documents that prove where they live.
However, the person seeking the voting-only ID still will need to swear — under penalty of law — that they have no other form of ID that is valid under the law and give their name, date of birth, Social Security number and address.
