Despite a veto by Gov. Tom Wolf, the push for voter ID isn’t over, said state Rep. Martin Causer Wednesday afternoon.
“There is broad bipartisan support for expanded voter ID laws to boost election security,” Causer said. “We already show ID for most everything we do. It is not too much to ask — and will not ‘disenfranchise’ anyone, as the governor claims — to have people present ID when exercising their right to vote. The law even would have required counties and the Department of State to provide an ID to all registered voters to ensure the voter ID requirement could be met.”
Rep. Clint Owlett, R-Wellsboro, expressed discouragement over the veto.
“This veto is a slap in the face to all Pennsylvanians who value their right to vote and to have those votes counted,” Owlett said. “This bill was a comprehensive measure that addressed security and accessibility of our elections, as well many of the challenges county officials asked us to fix to make the voting experience better for our citizens.
“The governor obviously has his own opinions, which he made clear by refusing to work with us on developing this legislation,” he continued. “However, we all hoped the hard work by the committee, testimony collected during our hearings, and polls showing bipartisan support for things like voter ID and signature verification would change his mind.”
Causer said lawmakers will be looking at other options to implement voter ID, including legislation that would propose to amend the state Constitution to require it and bypass the governor entirely.
In addition to voter ID, House Bill 1300 would have further tightened election security by requiring risk-limiting audits in all elections, as well as audits of the Department of State and the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors every five years; enhancing certification processes for all machines used in elections; and requiring signature verification using ballot scanning equipment for mail-in and absentee ballots.
It also would have addressed issues raised by local election officials, by allowing earlier counting of mail-in ballots, and moving the last day to register to vote back to 30 days prior to an election to allow sufficient time for processing.
The Senate Republicans, led by Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), issued a statement as well.
“The Voter Right Protection Act that passed both chambers of the General Assembly reflects the legislative branch’s work to identify and fix flaws in our election system, and ensures no voter would be disenfranchised by ensuring every single legal voter in the state would receive a qualifying voter ID under the bill — free of charge,” the statement read. “The process included review of best practices in multiple states including red, blue, and purple states, as well as many bipartisan hearings that were held over several months. The recommendations and changes identified in these hearings are all reflected in this important piece of legislation.
“Governor Wolf was asked on several occasions to participate and provide input in the process, but he instead opted to defend the national democrats party line and kowtow to special interests by crying foul to voter suppression in the media rather than rolling up his shirt sleeves and coming to the table for the people of Pennsylvania. (Wednesday’s) veto by Governor Wolf of the Voter Rights Protection Act is an out-of-touch move that goes against the majority of Pennsylvanians, including members of his own party.”
