Pennsylvania House Committee Removes Proof of ID Amendment from Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On March 1, a Pennsylvania state House committee removed a proposed constitutional amendment requiring proof of ID to vote from Senate Bill 1. The amended proposal will now go to the full House for a vote. The move comes after Democrats won control of the chamber for the first time in over a decade.
S.B. 1 originally passed the Republican-controlled Senate on Jan. 11. The proof of ID amendment would have required every voter in Pennsylvania to prove their identity before voting. In-person voters would be required to present a valid ID before receiving their ballot, while those voting by mail would have to include proof of ID, such as a photocopy of their ID, with their ballot.
However, in the weeks following the Senate’s vote, Democrats won three special House elections to win a majority of the chamber and Democratic leader Joanna McClinton (D) became speaker. The victories gave Democrats control of the House Judiciary Committee, enabling them to remove the proof of ID amendment from S.B. 1 before sending the bill to the House floor. The bill now deals with the statute of limitation for childhood sexual abuse. If the House passes the bill as amended, it will go back to the Senate.