Letter to the Editor: Voter ID Compliance Gets Easier

The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch received the following email on June 22 from (D-Pennsylvania's 38th House District). Kortz represents south , among other areas.

Other than addressing some minor grammatical issues, the wording seen below was written as is.

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While Pennsylvania's new voter ID law still faces a legal challenge, state officials recently announced a new way to get a non-driver ID card without the cost of obtaining an official birth certificate.

Under the law, voters can get a non-driver ID card without paying the usual $10 fee by going to the driver's license center and declaring they need the card for voting purposes only. Unfortunately, a certified copy of a birth certificate is required, and that costs $10.

Now, Pennsylvania's Department of State, which oversees voting, and the Department of Health, which keeps birth records, have created a system that will verify a voter's birth record without the cost of obtaining a certified copy.

Voters who go to a driver's license center to obtain an ID card can provide their birth information, and it will be sent to the Department of Health for verification. If everything checks out, the applicant will receive a notice in the mail about when to pick up the ID card.

It's still a lot of hassle to prevent a type of voter fraud that is virtually non-existent, and hopefully, the courts will see the blatant attempt at voter suppression that is behind the law.

But, with a critical election coming up in November, citizens shouldn't take any chances with their right to vote. If you don't have a photo ID, take advantage of the new way to obtain one.

You can find the location of the nearest driver's license center here.

Should you have any questions or comments on this or any state-related issue, please don't hesitate to contact me.

William C. Kortz II (repkortz@pahouse.net)

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