Understanding ID requirements for voters | 2023 Election Mailbag

Welcome to the Capital-Star’s election mailbag: a weekly round-up of voting questions, crowdsourced from you — our readers. 

Here’s this week’s question and answer:

You asked: When is Pa. going to require Photo ID?

A: While there have been legislative attempts to require voters to provide identification, Pennsylvania does not generally require a photo ID to vote. 

Earlier this year, state Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) proposed Senate Bill 1, requiring voter ID for every election. The bill has drawn the ire of Democrats who said the bill will disenfranchise voters, while also earning the support of Republicans who claim the bill will increase voters’ trust in elections. 

Republicans say voter ID will increase voters’ trust in elections; researchers say otherwise

If you are a first-time voter or are voting for the first time at a new polling location, you will be required to show identification. This can be either non-photo or photo identification. 

Acceptable forms of photo identification include: 

• Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card
• ID issued by any Commonwealth agency
• ID issued by the U.S. Government
• U.S. passport
• U.S. Armed Forces ID
• Student ID
• Employee ID

Acceptable forms of non-photo identification include: 

• Confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office
• Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth
• Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government
• Firearm permit
• Current utility bill
• Current bank statement
• Current paycheck
• Government check

More information can be found here: https://www.vote.pa.gov/Register-to-Vote/Pages/Voter-ID-for-First-Time-Voters.aspx

If you have questions about the election or voting process, submit them here or send them to [email protected] with the subject “election mail.”

Then, check back here each week for the answers.