For two decades, disputes over voter identification have sunk attempts to rewrite Pennsylvania’s badly outdated election law. But in recent years, prominent Democrats have offered tentative support for stricter rules.
In March, state House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia), a longtime opponent, publicly said she is open to expanding voter ID requirements as long as they don’t make it harder for people to vote. That’s a position echoed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.
In theory, Democratic support for a GOP priority should make it easier for Pennsylvania’s divided legislature to reach a deal that brings the state’s Election Code into the 21st century. The reality is much more complicated.
To understand why, it’s important to consider the transactional politics of Harrisburg.
State lawmakers broadly agree Pennsylvania’s election law is flawed and needs updates, from getting rid of archaic requirements for lanterns at polling places, to allowing counties to process and tally mail ballots before Election Day to speed up results.
But election policy is deeply political. Both parties have their own, often conflicting goals, and while voter ID has long been one of the hardest issues for Pennsylvania’s divided government to navigate, it’s not the only tough one — and it’s unlikely to pass on its own.
Pennsylvania currently requires voters to show ID the first time they vote at a new polling place. After that, they are identified by local poll workers, who check their names and signatures against the ones on record in pollbooks. If a voter requests a mail ballot, they must provide their driver’s license ID or Social Security number.
For Democrats, the issue boils down to concerns about ballot access. In particular, Black lawmakers, whose communities have historically faced disenfranchisement due to racist election policies, generally agree that changes must be closely vetted to ensure they don’t create new barriers for marginalized groups.
Republicans’ stated priority is security, a position that has been reinforced by mis- and disinformation spread by President Donald Trump after his 2020 election loss. Along with favoring mandatory voter ID, GOP proposals have included tighter rules for mail ballots, such as restrictions on drop boxes and signature verification.
To reach a deal that can win votes in a divided Harrisburg, legislative leaders have to combine policies that everyone can agree on, such as county-friendly adjustments to mail ballot timelines, with ones that only appeal to one of the two major parties.
But this tit for tat often leads to another roadblock in election legislating, said state Rep. Seth Grove (R., York), a former chair of the House committee charged with election oversight.
As the trades pile up and the bill gets bigger and bigger, Grove noted, more and more skeptical lawmakers end up with a reason to vote no, either because they oppose a specific measure or fear unintended consequences.
“The bigger [a deal] is,” Grove told Spotlight PA, “the more it falls on itself.”…