 PA Voter ID | Pennsylvania Department of State requires voters seeking new Voter ID card to first exhaust all efforts to obtain PennDOT non-driver photo ID. |  PennDOT ID |
A PennDOT driver's license or non-driver's ID will be required to vote in presidential election this November 6th. Along with a handful of other types of government-issued photo ID, (see below), a PennDOT ID must be presented at the polling place in order to receive a ballot, according to a new law effective this Election Day.
As an alternative, registered voters having difficulty obtaining a PennDOT ID have been offered a newly-created Voter ID, developed by the Department of State and issued through PennDOT Driver's License Centers. But the new Voter ID is proving no easier to obtain.
As an alternative, registered voters having difficulty obtaining a PennDOT ID have been offered a newly-created Voter ID, developed by the Department of State and issued through PennDOT Driver's License Centers. But the new Voter ID is proving no easier to obtain.
The PennDOT non-driver's ID is not easy to get if you are not in immediate possession of the four types of documentation, including original birth records, required for an application. It places particular hardship on elderly voters who can't locate a raised-seal birth certificate; students registered to vote in PA who carry an out-of-state driver's license; and voters with physical disabilities, those who work long or inflexible work hours, or who have young children in tow: in most cases these voters are finding that getting a PennDOT ID is requiring more than one trip to the PennDOT DL Center.
In response to complaints, and pressure from voter's advocacy groups, last week the Department of State finally released their anticipated "safety net" Voter ID, reassuring the public that this new Voter ID will ensure that no registered, eligible voter is turned away from the polls. But even leaving aside the voters that will not have heard about the strict new requirements until they walk into their precinct's polling place, where they have voted under the same procedures as long as they have been voting, those who are getting the word in time are discovering that by design, the so-called streamlined ID is no easier to get than the PennDOT ID. That's because the State wants you to take the long way around, applying for the PennDOT ID first.
Officials at PennDOT, working with the Department of State, have declared the PennDOT ID, although harder to obtain, "a better product" than the Voter ID, because "it can be used for multiple purposes," whereas the Voter ID can only be used for, well, voting.
So voters, anxious to meet the new ID requirements in time to be heard in this national election; voters who by definition don't drive and have apparently not been in urgent need of current, official, government-issued photo identification; voters who don't drive, fly, purchase alcohol, or rent cars; voters who just want to vote, are being told that while the PennDOT ID is not easy to obtain, if, for example, they don't have "the birth certificate with a raised seal (and) will need to visit a driver license center twice," the extra steps will pay off, because "they will receive a product that can be used for many day to day identification needs."
PennDOT, the only agency providing the Voter ID, is therefore requiring every applicant to apply first for a PennDOT ID. "PennDOT wants to make every effort to issue this product first," as "the Voter ID will be valid for voting purposes only." If unable to meet the documentation requirements for the PennDOT ID after two trips and signing a written oath that the documents cannot be located, a voter can provide whatever documentation they do have and will be at last issued a Voter ID.
Right now, for voters discovering barriers between themselves and their ballot, the one thing they're looking for is identification "for voting purposes only."
In response to complaints, and pressure from voter's advocacy groups, last week the Department of State finally released their anticipated "safety net" Voter ID, reassuring the public that this new Voter ID will ensure that no registered, eligible voter is turned away from the polls. But even leaving aside the voters that will not have heard about the strict new requirements until they walk into their precinct's polling place, where they have voted under the same procedures as long as they have been voting, those who are getting the word in time are discovering that by design, the so-called streamlined ID is no easier to get than the PennDOT ID. That's because the State wants you to take the long way around, applying for the PennDOT ID first.
Officials at PennDOT, working with the Department of State, have declared the PennDOT ID, although harder to obtain, "a better product" than the Voter ID, because "it can be used for multiple purposes," whereas the Voter ID can only be used for, well, voting.
So voters, anxious to meet the new ID requirements in time to be heard in this national election; voters who by definition don't drive and have apparently not been in urgent need of current, official, government-issued photo identification; voters who don't drive, fly, purchase alcohol, or rent cars; voters who just want to vote, are being told that while the PennDOT ID is not easy to obtain, if, for example, they don't have "the birth certificate with a raised seal (and) will need to visit a driver license center twice," the extra steps will pay off, because "they will receive a product that can be used for many day to day identification needs."
PennDOT, the only agency providing the Voter ID, is therefore requiring every applicant to apply first for a PennDOT ID. "PennDOT wants to make every effort to issue this product first," as "the Voter ID will be valid for voting purposes only." If unable to meet the documentation requirements for the PennDOT ID after two trips and signing a written oath that the documents cannot be located, a voter can provide whatever documentation they do have and will be at last issued a Voter ID.
Right now, for voters discovering barriers between themselves and their ballot, the one thing they're looking for is identification "for voting purposes only."
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In Pennsylvania, Strict New ID Requirements, effective November 6, 2012
Before March of this year, voters in PA showed identification only when registering, or when voting for the first time in a new precinct. This identification could include any of the following: a PennDOT driver's license or non-driver ID, a student ID, a work ID, a bank statement, a library card, or a pay stub or utility bill.
Starting November 6th, all voters must present a government-issued photo ID in order to vote. These include: a PennDOT driver's license or non-driver ID, passport, military ID, government employee ID, student ID (if it displays an expiration date), or a photo ID from a Pennsylvania care facility.
Starting November 6th, all voters must present a government-issued photo ID in order to vote. These include: a PennDOT driver's license or non-driver ID, passport, military ID, government employee ID, student ID (if it displays an expiration date), or a photo ID from a Pennsylvania care facility.
Obtaining Acceptable Forms of ID
If a registered voter does not have a current form of one of the ID's listed above, their first recourse is to go to a PennDOT DL Center to apply for a PennDOT non-driver's ID. They'll need a raised-seal copy of their birth certificate, an original copy of their Social Security card, and two proofs of residence, such as a lease and a current utility bill.
If a voter does not possess a raised-seal copy of their birth certificate, they'll need to go to a PennDOT DL Center and do the following:
The voter must then wait up to ten days for letter from the Health Department and return to the PennDOT DL Center with the letter. If the letter verifies the birth records, the voter can get a PennDOT ID on this second trip.
If a voter does not possess a raised-seal copy of their birth certificate, they'll need to go to a PennDOT DL Center and do the following:
- sign an oath saying they do not have an official birth certificate
- fill out an application for a "Certification of a Birth Record for Voter ID Purposes Only"
- show their Social Security card and 2 proofs of residence
- fill out an application for a PennDOT non-driver's photo ID
The voter must then wait up to ten days for letter from the Health Department and return to the PennDOT DL Center with the letter. If the letter verifies the birth records, the voter can get a PennDOT ID on this second trip.
Setbacks Encountered
Some voters - especially among the elderly - have received letters from the health department stating their birth records can not be located. Other voters, born in another state or country, can't locate birth records or have to pay a fee. Students voters have learned that their student ID cards must bear an expiration date to be considered suitable. If their school's card does not, and their driver's license is from out-of-state, they can apply for a PennDOT ID, but they must first relinquish their out-of-state ID, sign a written oath that they don't have other acceptable ID, and through the same documentation procedures AS it gets closer to election day, there will be voters who don't find out about the new requirement in time to allow for two trips to a PennDOT center and a ten day wait on documents.
Some voters - especially among the elderly - have received letters from the health department stating their birth records can not be located. Other voters, born in another state or country, can't locate birth records or have to pay a fee. Students voters have learned that their student ID cards must bear an expiration date to be considered suitable. If their school's card does not, and their driver's license is from out-of-state, they can apply for a PennDOT ID, but they must first relinquish their out-of-state ID, sign a written oath that they don't have other acceptable ID, and through the same documentation procedures AS it gets closer to election day, there will be voters who don't find out about the new requirement in time to allow for two trips to a PennDOT center and a ten day wait on documents.
A Would-Be Solution, With a Catch
In comes the the newly-minted DOS Voter ID card. While the setbacks above were quickly discovered, the PA Department of State has been slow to respond. As early as April, voters trying to obtain ID hit barriers. Finally in late August, the DOS released the Voter ID card. Described as a "safety net" option for those encountering obstacles to getting documentation, State officials have said that "the process has been streamlined and the requirements are less stringent to obtain (it)." Now racing to inform all registered PA voters of the new requirements and how to meet them, voter advocates look to the Voter ID as extra insurance that every voter will be able to walk into their polling place holding an acceptable form of ID. As of now though, since the Voter ID will not be provided unless and until all the avenues to getting a PennDOT ID have been exhausted, advocates fear it is the voters who will become exhausted.
Voter groups plan to continue to push for procedures that will ensure every registered voter can vote November 6th.
Voter groups plan to continue to push for procedures that will ensure every registered voter can vote November 6th.
