Two Pennsylvania lawmakers are pushing for a voter identification constitutional amendment in Pennsylvania.
Two Pennsylvania lawmakers declared Friday that state residents should decide the stringency of the state’s voter identification law through a constitutional amendment.
The push comes after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said he’d never support strengthening existing voter I.D. law – one of the top priorities for Republicans in their election reform proposal unveiled Thursday.
The current law in Pennsylvania only requires voter identification for first-time voters at a voting location.
This proposal would change that.
It would require voters to show identification every time they vote.
Dem Governor Wolf has promised to veto any legislation making voter identification laws stronger.
A constitutional amendment would take Governor Wolf out of the process and give power to Pennsylvania residents.
According to Sen. Ward, a constitutional amendment “removes politics from the decision-making and allows Pennsylvanians to take the lead in how they want to further secure our election process.”
Pennsylvania Capital Star reported:
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has promised to veto legislation that would require voters to show ID every time they vote. So Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, and Rep. Jeff Wheeland, R-Lycoming, want to take Wolf out of the process by proposing a constitutional amendment approach instead.
That means legislation would go through the GOP-controlled Legislature and be put to a public vote. Language for amendments must be passed in two consecutive legislative sessions, so an amendment could reach voters for consideration in May 2023 at the earliest. Pennsylvania governors can’t veto proposed amendments.
