Pennsylvania Republicans Propose New Voter ID Restrictions
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new bill proposed by Pennsylvania House Republicans would establish additional ID requirements for voters in the state. House Bill 1300, proposed by Rep. Seth Grove (R), is a 149-page bill that includes sweeping election changes, including some expansions of ballot access such as increasing the number of drop boxes around the state. However, the bill also requires that all voters who cast their ballots in person provide an ID at their polling location. Voters who do not would have to vote via affidavit and could be subject to criminal penalties including jail time. H.B. 1300 also moves the deadline to register to vote up by 15 days, requiring voters to register a full month before Election Day.
Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and his fellow Democrats in the Legislature have strongly condemned the bill, meaning its passage is unlikely. Grove and other House Republicans have appeared unwilling to drop the voter ID provision in order to come to a compromise with Democrats and advance the vote expansion provisions in the bill. In a statement, Wolf said “I will not allow bad actors to put up barriers to voting. Not only will I stand against any efforts to roll back our freedoms, I will continue to push for changes to take down barriers that still exist.”