{"id":2014,"date":"2025-03-19T13:16:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T17:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/pennsylvania\/?post_type=article&p=2014"},"modified":"2025-08-11T16:49:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T20:49:48","slug":"3-important-things-to-know-about-voter-identification","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/pennsylvania\/articles\/3-important-things-to-know-about-voter-identification\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Important Things to Know about Voter Identification"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2014","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","article_type-blog-post"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"Though in theory it may be popular, in practice voter identification is another unnecessary barrier to the ballot box. ","featured_image":"","article_type":226,"authors":"","related_issues":[109,471],"related_work":false,"location":41},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

3 Important Things to Know about Voter Identification<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\r\nVoting is a right and a privilege, and it\u2019s a well-known fact that the<\/span> more accessible it is to vote, the more likely it is that voters will turn out on Election Day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nWhy, then, do politicians insist on trying to make voting harder?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nYour identification is already checked when you register to vote, and again the first time you vote at your polling location.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nPoliticians talk up phantom threats of in-person voter impersonation, even though the evidence overwhelmingly shows our elections are secure.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThough in theory it may be popular, in practice voter identification is another unnecessary barrier to the ballot box.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nHere are some things you should know about voter ID:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

#1.\u00a0 Voter ID doesn\u2019t solve a problem. <\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span><\/h4>\r\nDespite years of allegations, no evidence has ever been found of a widespread problem with people impersonating other voters at the polling place. These incidents are sporadic, identified quickly, and addressed appropriately within the system that already exists to address these issues. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn fact, even the Heritage Foundation found only 36 instances of <\/span>potential <\/span><\/i><\/b>electoral misconduct out<\/span> of millions of votes cast in the past 40 years in Pennsylvania. Of those, <\/span>only three<\/span><\/i><\/b> cases<\/span><\/i><\/b> involved in-person voter impersonation.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nWhile Pennsylvania\u2019s elections are safe and secure, there are improvements that could help make sure that all voters can have their voices heard. But rather than focusing on bringing early voting and same day voter registration to Pennsylvania or helping counties count mail ballots faster, some legislators are focused on fixing problems that don\u2019t exist. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/span>#2. Voter ID creates more problems than it solves. <\/span><\/b>\r\n\r\nVoter ID puts up obstacles to the ballot box by requiring people to bring additional documents with them to vote. For people with a driver\u2019s license or passport, this is an easy solution, but there are millions of Americans \u2013 particularly young adults and people who have lower incomes \u2013 who don\u2019t possess and don\u2019t have the means to get either of those documents.<\/span>1<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nPeople in lower income families and adults with disabilities may not have access to other forms of identification, either. There are some Americans who have no bank accounts and no utilities in their names. People experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to stricter voter ID laws, as well. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAmong others who could be disenfranchised are:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n