Voter ID bill passes Pennsylvania House; governor has said he'll sign it

◼ Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to sign one of the nation’s toughest voter identification laws less than eight months before the presidential election, although a court challenge is also expected to the measure that handily passed the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives today. - pennlive.com

The 104-88 vote came after three days of debate and accusations by Democrats that the bill is a Jim Crow-style attempt to discriminate against minorities and that no trail of voter fraud exists to justify making it more difficult for the elderly, disabled and poor to vote.

The GOP-controlled state Senate approved the measure last week, and Corbett, a Republican, has said he will sign it.

The bill would require voters to show certain photo identification before their votes could be counted beginning with this year’s presidential election, prompting Democrats to accuse Republicans of trying to stop traditional Democratic-leaning voters — minorities, college students and the poor — from getting their ballots counted.

Republicans say the requirement is a common-sense step to prevent fraudulent double voting, voting by illegal immigrants, voter impersonation and fictitious voters. They also say that showing photo ID is a widely accepted function in daily American society. Voter ID has been a hot topic, with a number of Republican-controlled legislatures around the country passing such measures.