IMPORTANT CHANGES FOR PENNSYLVANIA IN 2020

Two of the most important rights we have as Pennsylvania residents will undergo significant revisions in 2020. First, our right to withhold private information from the government will be altered by the federal REAL ID Law.  Beginning on October 1, 2020, Pennsylvanians will need a compliant driver’s license photo ID card or other form of federally acceptable identification (such as a passport) to board a domestic commercial flight or to enter a federal/military installation that requires ID. Second, seven major changes to how we vote in PA were signed into law by Governor Wolf on October 31, 2019.  This was a bipartisan piece of legislation that both Republicans and Democrats are calling the most important election law reforms in eighty years.

The Pennsylvania Real ID Law.  Pennsylvania was among the final states to adopt the federal REAL ID Law.  In 2005, Congress passed the law in response to the findings of the 9/11 Commission to limit the opportunity for terrorists to move about the country under aliases, using fake driver licenses.

 At first, many states, including Pennsylvania, were defiant over concerns about privacy. The REAL ID Law was seen as an internal passport to track U.S. citizens. Initially, Pennsylvania passed legislation prohibiting the Department of Transportation from participating in the program. However, as the federal deadline got closer and the implications for Pennsylvania domestic travelers became clearer, the Pennsylvania legislature reconsidered and in 2017 repealed the non-compliance law.  The compromise was that the new driver’s license/ID mandated by the REAL ID Law were made discretionary, depending upon the needs of each resident.

The federal government extended the compliance deadline to October 1, 2020, giving Pennsylvania more time to gear-up for the new license/IDs. The start-up costs were around 30 million with annual maintenance of the program estimated at upwards of 17 million.  Now each of us has a decision to make in the coming months.

My wife and I decided to bite the bullet and obtain the new REAL ID licenses. This involved an extra trip to the local PennDot office; the gathering together of documentation to prove both identity and residency; and a not insubstantial check in the amount of $60.50, for each of us.  The only good news was that time left on our old licenses was added onto the new four year REAL ID license.  Because we each had valid passports, we needed to provide less documentation than those without passports.

Our decision to go through with this inconvenience was twofold.  First, we did not want to be forced to carry our passports on domestic flights, already a major hassle when traveling overseas.  Second, we understand Murphy’s Law and the fact that someday, without warning, we would be required to present the ID in order to enter a federal facility that requires identification. (post offices, Social Security offices and other federal offices dispensing benefits do not require ID)

For Pennsylvania residents who occasionally travel domestically by air and who do not have passports, getting the REAL ID will be a necessity in order to board a plane.  For older residents who never travel by air, the inconvenience and expenses in obtaining the new ID might make little sense.  Unless, of course, Murphy’s Law strikes again and the unexpected domestic air travel becomes a necessity.

Pennsylvania Election Reform Bill.  For over a century, Pennsylvania voters were only able to vote by either physically going to a designated polling site or by formally requesting and being approved for an absentee ballot. Once a voter arrived at the polls there was always a lever available to vote for one party or the other, without considering the credentials of individual candidates.   This will all change for the May 2020 primary, all but guaranteeing a larger percentage of registered voters will actually vote and give some thought to their choices.

The new law provides for “no excuse mail in voting” permitting registered voters to vote by mail by requesting their mail-in ballot up to 50 days before each election. (The 50 day period is the longest vote by mail period in the country) The request may be made in person at the county election office, by calling the office, or online at votespa.com. 

The procedure is the same as the absentee process, but now no excuse to receive a mail-in ballot is required.  In addition, the new law provides for a “permanent mail-in and absentee ballot list” so that voters can request and receive ballots for all elections held in a given year. Voters can now submit mail-in and absentee ballots until 8pm on election day as opposed to the former time limit of 5pm the Friday before each election.

 The deadline to register to vote is extended to 15 days from the prior 30 days before the election.  This voter friendly deadline provides more time to register to vote than 24 other states.

Removing barriers to voting absentee allows more people to vote in the manner most convenient for them.  As more people learn about this option, a no-excuse absentee voting system is likely to reduce both polling site lines and the administrative burden on election officials, thereby decreasing the total cost of administering elections.

Perhaps the most controversial election reform relates to eliminating “straight-party voting”, the option of pushing one button to vote for all the candidates in a single party in general elections. Voters will now have to check off their choice for every contest in the general election, as opposed to simply voting for all Democrats or all Republicans.

Lastly, county commissioners are breathing a sigh of relief because the law authorizes the borrowing of $90 million by the state to reimburse counties for up to 60 percent of the cost of replacing their voting machines with voter-verifiable paper trail election systems.

I am personally excited about the election reforms. I can now obtain a paper ballot in advance and go about my business on Election Day without interrupting my schedule.  More importantly, a no excuse mail-in ballot will give me more time to study the issues and candidates that appear on the ballot, in the privacy of my home, before casting my vote.  After all, voting responsibly is as important as voting in the first place.