Keystone Today

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has promised to veto sweeping election reform legislation (House Bill 1300) approved last week by a Republican-controlled General Assembly. However, a key provision of the legislation, voter ID, could do an end run around the governor as a proposed amendment to the state Constitution. 

The Senate approved the constitutional amendment before recessing for the summer June 25. 

The sponsor of election reform legislation, state Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) said the governor’s office did not engage in “good faith negotiations” over the legislation, the Voting Rights Protection Act. It was the product of four months of hearings by House State Government Committee, which Grove chairs.  

“The Voting Rights Protection Act will be the best deal for the governor for the remainder of his term in office,” Grove said in a statement following Senate approval of his bill. “Should the bill not become law, the Senate has moved Sen. Judy Ward’s (R-Blair) Senate Bill 735 to require voter identification via a constitutional amendment. We will take election reform directly to the people and bypass the executive branch. Considering the strong support of voter identification, it is highly likely it would be approved by voters.”

A recent poll by Franklin & Marshall College showed that 74% of voters support the showing of an identification card when voting in person, and 81% are in favor of signature verification, another provision in the bill. Also in the bill is an expansion of early voting, a provision allowing voters to correct certain errors on mail-in ballots, and yearly election audits.

“The Voting Rights Protection Act ensures no voter would be disenfranchised by giving all voters an enhanced durable, scannable voter registration identification cards, much like the identification cards currently issued to voters, to be used when voting in person,” Grove said. “Voters can also use other identification cards nearly all Pennsylvanians already possess. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, there are 8.7 million registered voters in the state. Statistics from the Department of Transportation show 9 million Pennsylvanians have a driver’s license.”

Senate Bill 735, the proposed constitutional amendment, requires approval by both chambers of the General Assembly in successive two-year legislative sessions to get on the ballot.