PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Battlelines are being drawn in Harrisburg as voter ID is back in the spotlight.
Since Gov. Tom Wolf said he’ll veto any legislation that proposes voter ID, Republicans are introducing bills in the state House and Senate that would amend the state constitution to require voters to verify their ID every time they vote. That would sidestep the governor’s office and put it up to voters.
Southcentral Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Judy Ward is behind the Senate’s version.
“My constituents have told me they aren’t comfortable — they don’t trust the system,” she said. “It is my job as a legislator to provide them confidence in the voting system.”
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Wolf argues people don’t trust the system because he said some Republicans continue to push “the big lie” about fraud from the November election.
“These are lies that divide the people and do nothing more than really spread doubt,” he said.
Wolf calls the proposals “unnecessary undemocratic barriers” that are designed to keep some people from being able to vote.
Allegations of widespread voter fraud are unproven despite dozens of court challenges.
Republican state Rep. Seth Grove (York County) is behind a sweeping 149-page House election reform bill that would, among other things, allow early in-person voting to start in 2025, use signature-scanning devices on mail-in ballots, and allow voters to fix errors on mail-in ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day.