Pennsylvania has passed a new Voter ID law which has the potential to keep many people from voting in this year's elections. Because of this law, all registered voters will need to show a valid ID to gain access to the polls. If a registered voter doesn't have a valid ID, they may be given a provisional ballot, but the provisionals are not always counted. If you want your vote to be counted, you will needed to make sure you have a valid ID. Here is information about what will count as a valid ID and what you need to have to get a valid ID if you do not currently have one. Please share this info, and if you need more information, you may contact me. Imagine going to the polls, just as you always have for years, and then, this year walking in and being stopped from voting because you lack a valid picture ID. This may be the case for many voters, especially elderly, low income, urban dwelling, or trans persons. A good election is one where as many people vote as possible. Help everyone be prepared by spreading this information. Approved Forms of Photo ID for Voting In order to vote under the new voter ID law, you must present one of the following forms of ID: A current Pennsylvania driver’s license, or one that expired after November 2011; A current Pennsylvania photo ID card issued by Penn DOT, or one that expired after November 2011; A current U.S. passport; A U.S. military or Pennsylvania National Guard photo ID (note: it must include “a designation that the expiration date is indefinite”); A U.S. government-issued photo ID, e.g., agency employee, armed services, etc.; A current employee photo ID issued by a Pennsylvania county, city, town, township or borough; A current student photo ID issued by a Pennsylvania college or university (note that only ID’s containing an expiration date can be used. For instance, University of Pittsburgh’s IDs are accepted, but Penn State, LaSalle and Drexel’s are not.); or A current photo ID issued by a licensed nursing, personal care or assisted living facility (note that only ID’s containing an expiration date can be used); For any of these ID’s, the person has to look like the person in the picture, and the name on the ID has to “substantially conform” to the name on the voter registration record. Both of these may be problems for some people. If the person does not have one of these ID’s, they will have to obtain an ID from Penn DOT. In order to do so, they must produce an original Social Security card and one of the following types of identification: An original birth certificate, i.e., one that has a “raised seal.” (You can’t use a photocopy or a hospital registration. ); U.S. citizenship certificate; Naturalization certificate; or Valid U.S. passport. In addition to the identification documents described above, the applicant for photo ID must present two forms of proof of residency from the following list: Tax records Lease agreement Mortgage documents W 2 form Current gun/firearm permit Current utility bill If you know of someone who currently does not have one of the accepted forms of ID listed above and will likely have difficulty obtaining an ID, or if you have any questions about the voter ID law or the legal challenge to it, please feel free to contact the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania at 717-238-2258 orvoterID@aclupa.org. You can also check out their webpage at www.aclupa.org/voterid -- Thomas C. Waters 412-400-8777 thomaswaters@mac.com http://thomascwaters.com http://QLATB.com twitter: tcwaters