Lawmakers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly introduced a bill today that risks disenfranchising voters by requiring new identification requirements while voting, which could lead to long lines and confusion at the polls.

House Bill 771 would institute new paperwork and voter ID requirements for in-person voting in Pennsylvania elections. This bill would impose significant cost on already overburdened election administrators and state agencies while potentially disenfranchising Pennsylvania voters by causing confusion and unnecessarily complicating the voter check-in process, resulting in longer lines at the polls.

Common Cause Pennsylvania and League of Women Voters Pennsylvania are encouraging the House to reject the bill.  

“These changes will inconvenience voters and election administrators and risks disenfranchising voters. Our goal should not be to confuse or scare away eligible voters with long lines and red tape. In the 2024 General Election, some Pennsylvania voters waited in lines of up to six hours to vote. Requiring voters who have already verified their identity to show ID or a complete a form will slow down lines and inconvenience voters for no good reason. Our elections should be made more accessible, and this bill would make them less so,” said Philip Hensley-Robin, Executive Director of Common Cause Pennsylvania.

“HB 771 is a solution in search of a problem; there is simply no evidence of widespread in-person voter fraud in Pennsylvania. Worse yet, it will create additional burdens for voters, election administrators, and poll workers by adding unnecessary ID requirements and paperwork that will likely lead to confusion and longer lines at the polls. Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. Rather than building barriers to exercising this right, lawmakers should focus on making sure that every eligible voter in Pennsylvania can cast their ballot freely, fairly, and without unnecessary obstacles,” said Amy Widestrom, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of PA.  

Several problems with the bill include: 

• Requiring voters to obtain forms of ID they don’t have or sign an affidavit to vote 

• Creating expensive administrative burdens for county election offices; and 

• Complicating Pennsylvania’s elections for a problem that doesn’t exist