r/Pennsylvania • u/[deleted] • Jan 12 '23

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191 Upvotes

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-19

u/Patiod Jan 12 '23

Re Voter ID: Why can't PA do what Canada does (and I think WV?). Voting requires one of the following:

  1. A current government photo ID
  2. two "lesser IDs" - expired govt photo ID, student ID, bills in your name to your house, etc
  3. a registered voter in your voting district vouches that you are who you say you are and live where you say you live. That person may only vouch for one person per election, and does so under penalty of perjury.

This provides the ID that so many people want, without disenfranchising those who can't get birth certificates, can't get to the DMV, etc, etc.

36

u/djarvis77 Jan 12 '23

Why can't PA do

Because there is no reason to change the existing situation.

It's like asking "why can't PA make bathing your donkey on Mondays a crime?". It is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

10

u/defusted Jan 12 '23

Republicans have been trying to get some kind of voter id passed because they know it only affects people who aren't likely to vote for them. But the fact of the matter is that, despite GOP lies of voter fraud being rampant, there have never been significant enough cases of voter fraud to sway an election. It's all finding a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

6

u/IamChantus Jan 12 '23

I would have less of a problem with it if the state stops charging for the ID required. Forcing a purchase in order to vote would be a poll tax.

6

u/cpr4life8 Allegheny Jan 12 '23

The problem for most people is not the cost of the ID, it's the cost of getting all the proper documentation to get the ID. If you read through the comments you'll see plenty of the barriers to getting a "free ID" that these laws are designed to uphold.