Keystone Today

Despite vetoing an election integrity bill earlier this year, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has changed his tune when it comes to the possibility of voter ID laws being enacted in Pennsylvania.

According to Keystone Today, Wolf vetoed House Bill 1300, a piece of election integrity legislation. Attorney General Josh Shapiro backed Wolf’s veto.

Now, it appears that Wolf may be supporting election integrity measures, as polls around the country continue to show that voters of both parties are generally in favor of measures such as voter ID and signature matching. 

After Wolf vetoed the first bill put forth by Pennsylvania Republicans, Sen. Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) and Sen. Kim Ward (R-Hempfield Township) recently indicated that the state Senate would continue to fight for election reform despite the governor’s veto, according to 8WGAL. They issued a joint statement asserting that "Our Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform identified a more limited set of recommendations that were approved with bipartisan support. Those recommendations will form the basis of our election reform efforts in the fall."

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Wolf has reversed his opinion about ID requirements for mail-in ballots. “I’m sure out there is a reasonable voter ID solution to say … you need to show that you should be voting here,” Wolf said. “And I’m fine with that. The formula in [the Republican bill], in my mind, was not it.”

Wolf's sentiments seem to reflect that of the average U.S. voter. The latest Franklin & Marshall College poll found that 81% of respondents, including 88% of independents and 64% of Democrats, support signature matching for mail-in ballots. Seventy-four percent support photo ID mandates, including 77% of independent voters.

Though Wolf seems to be reaching across the aisle to support popular legislation, the Republican response to Wolf’s change of tune has been both surprised and critical. Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), who wrote the bill Wolf vetoed, expressed frustration at Wolf’s reversal. “I’m dumbfounded, I’m literally dumbfounded. Unbelievable,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“This entire issue is on his administration being unwilling to come to the table and have discussions on elections,” Grove said, adding that a “reasonable approach” would have been negotiating the specifics of the preexisting bill.

The governor admitted that he was concerned about the proposal the Republicans put forth because he suspected that they had other objectives. He did not consider the legislation previously because he assumed that Republicans’ sole objective was suppressing the vote.

National chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli said, “There’s a reason why common-sense voter integrity measures such as photo ID and signature verification for mail-in ballots are so popular. They help ensure a fair, secure and transparent system of elections voters can trust. Not only did the Wolf-Shapiro veto put them at odds with their constituents on these key protections, but they also thumbed their noses at measures to bolster voter access, including expanded voter registration deadlines, reduced wait times at polling places, assistance for disabled voters, enhanced training and higher pay for election workers, and so much more.”

As public opinion continues to shift in favor of election integrity measures, lawmakers around the country are joining Pennsylvania in putting these measures to a vote.