SB 735 | Voter ID requirement [constitutional amendment]

Session: 2021-2022

ACLU-PA Position: Opposes

SB 735 (PN 952) is a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution that would require every voter to present "valid identification" at the polls every time they vote.

But SB 735 fails to clearly define which forms of ID qualify as “valid." As a result, voters will be asked to decide whether to amend the PA Constitution to require voter ID before the legislature has even defined the legal requirements for the process.

SB 735 contributes to the dangerous trend of legislating by constitutional amendment. Requiring voter ID does not require a constitutional amendment. Voter ID can — and should be — a change that is legislatively enacted by amending the Election Code. In the event that any of the provisions in SB 735 prove to be impractical, ill-defined, burdensome, and/or in error, the ONLY way to adjust the requirements or mechanisms of voter ID is to re-amend the constitution — a process that could easily take at least 2-3 years to implement.

Check the bill's status here.