The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is introducing new tools and information on its website so voters can be sure the ID they’re bringing to the polls this November is the right one, according to the ACLU.
Associate Director Sara Mullen said they are worried about the misinformation people are hearing about voter ID requirements. She said many believe they need a birth certificate to get a PennDOT ID.
“That confusion stems from the fact that you used to need a birth certificate in order to get a PennDOT ID. PennDOT has changed the rules,” said Mullen. “Since the law was passed PennDOT has been adapting the rules to make it easier for people to get that ID. The problem is that in that process it makes it more confusing for people.”
Mullen said one online tool will ask people questions about their identification, or their planned voting ID, and tells them if it will be accepted.
She said she expects a ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court later this month on a challenge to the state’s voter ID law. But, until then it’s “anybody’s guess” what the justices will decide.
“Right to vote is so critical that we don’t want to rest on the lawsuit,” said Mullen. “So that’s why we have had, since the beginning, a two-pronged attack on this. We’re doing the lawsuit but we’re also trying to educate voters just in case the lawsuit’s not successful.”
The “Let Me Vote” campaignis part of a national effort by the ACLU to assist people in all states where voting laws have changed.
