State officials announced Tuesday that all voters can choose to receive either secure PennDOT photo IDs or Department of State voting-only ID cards when visiting a PennDOT driver’s license center.
In order to get the state-issued Voter ID card, an individual need only give his or her name, date of birth, Social Security number and address. Proof of residence is not required.
PennDOT will then confirm with the Department of State that the applicant is a registered voter while the person is at the driver license center. The applicant will get a DOS voter ID card once the information is confirmed.
If an applicant’s voter registration or information cannot be confirmed while at PennDOT, then the Department of State will mail the voter ID card to the person.
“We believe these updates to our process will meet the Supreme Court standard that Voter ID cards be liberally accessible,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele said in a press release.
The Supreme Court’s decision to push the challenge back to Commonwealth Court is mostly over the issue whether there is “liberal access” to an acceptable voter ID card for eligible voters. The Commonwealth Court is expected to make a decision on that question next week.
Meanwhile, the 48 state Department of Transportation Driver Licensing Centers, normally closed on Mondays, will be open on Monday, Nov. 5—the day before Election Day—to better serve customers with last-minute voter ID needs.
The Driver Licensing Centers in Collier Township and the City of Washington are among those that will be open.
In recent months, PennDOT has worked closely with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union representing its Driver Licensing Center employees, to reach this agreement.
“I applaud the efforts of AFSCME to work with us on this important effort,” said PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch. “Our employees have been working tirelessly to be certain that any Pennsylvanian who needs an ID for voting purposes has it, and efforts like this show our commitment to getting the job done.”
Since the passage of the law in March, PennDOT has been working aggressively to make the voting ID process as customer-friendly as possible. Two major milestones include working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to facilitate a process for customers who do not have a birth certificate with a raised seal, and extending hours at five Driver License Centers in Philadelphia County.
PennDOT and its partners at the Pennsylvania Departments of State and Health are dedicated to delivering on Gov. Tom Corbett’s commitment that every eligible voter has an opportunity to obtain the photo identification needed to vote.
The addresses of the affected centers can be found online at www.dmv.state.pa.us or by calling 1-800-932-4600.
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