MEDIA, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania's governor and state lawmakers from both parties descended on Media in Delaware County on Thursday, as the debate over a sweeping election reform bill continues to generate heat.
The proposed voter ID aspect of the legislation is the big sticking point between Gov. Tom Wolf and the GOP lawmakers who crashed his news conference.
Wolf, flanked by Delaware County Democrats, said there are parts of the bill that address important issues, but any election reform legislation with voter verification is a non-starter.
“There are areas that we can agree, but it’s disingenuous to say we have to pack all this stuff together. If you want the good you have to take the bad too. I’m not willing to do that,” Wolf said.
“The things we have done throughout American history we have improved access to the polls. The things that have not been right were where people have stepped in to try to suppress the vote."
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Representative Seth Grove (R-York County), the prime sponsor of the 146-page election reform bill, said he made the trip to Delaware County because the governor’s office won’t engage election reform.
As for the proposed voter verification, Grove said Democrats are completely mischaracterizing their plan, which is exactly the same as what a voter has to show when they vote at a polling place for the first time.
“Every new voter, newly registered and if you move or change polling places, you have to show a form of ID," said Grove.
"There are 16 forms of ID that are eligible in Pennsylvania. We have not had one case of disenfranchisement or suppression in the past seven years.”
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Grove said everyone will be mailed a card with a bar code that they’ll show when they vote. If you lose it, you can bring a utility bill or any other of the 16 forms of ID, or sign an affidavit that you are who you say you are.
He said his bill addresses security issues, but also increases access with steps like standardizing rules for drop boxes and allowing for early voting.
Contrary to claims from Democrats, Grove says the bill makes no changes to voter registration.
“All we ask is for the counties to actually validate it, because through the hearings we learned counties actually don’t validate voter registration applications.”
Still, Democrats call the bill a Trojan horse.
Grove and other Republicans behind the legislation have been criticized for signing on to a letter in December urging the Congressional delegation to object to Pennsylvania’s electoral votes.
He said he stands by that letter, as it addressed concerns about things like last-minute changes to how mail-in ballots were handled, issues which he says are addressed in this legislation.