UPDATE!!!

Voter Registration ID law is Blocked for the Upcoming Presidential Election

Know YOUR Voting Rights Pennsylvania

Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012. You must register to vote by Tuesday, October 9, 2012.

What You Need to Know About PA’s New Voter ID Law
Starting with the November 6, 2012 election, you will be required to show photo ID to vote in person, even if you have voted at the same place for years.

Only some types of photo ID will be accepted. Your photo ID must be current and
include an expiration date. The name on your photo ID should closely match your
name in the voter registry.

  • Pennsylvania driver’s license (may be expired up to one year from Election Day)
  • PennDOT non-driver photo ID (may be expired up to one year from Election Day)
  • PA Dept. of State “for voting only” photo ID (available through PennDOT—more info on the back)
  • U.S. passport
  • U.S. government-issued photo ID
  • Commonwealth of Pennsylvania-issued photo ID
  • U.S. military or Pennsylvania National Guard photo ID (can say expiration date is indefinite)
  • Pennsylvania municipal employee photo ID
  • Accredited Pennsylvania college- or university-issued photo ID
  • Pennsylvania nursing/personal-care facility photo ID

Medicare/Medicaid cards, Access cards, Dept. of Veterans Affairs cards,
school district employee IDs, and high school IDs will NOT be accepted.

If you do not have a valid photo ID to vote, you can get one for FREE.

If you are eligible to vote by absentee ballot, you will only need to provide the
last four digits of your Social Security number if you do not have a PennDOT ID.

Getting a Free Photo ID
If you do not have an acceptable photo ID to vote, you can get a FREE PennDOT nondriver photo ID or a Dept. of State (DOS) “for voting only” photo ID at a PennDOT Driver License Center. You will need to sign an oath that you are a registered voter and that you do not have a valid photo ID.

How to get a PennDOT non-driver photo ID:
If you have had a Pennsylvania driver’s license or non-driver photo ID at any time
since 1990, you should be in the computer system and will not need to bring any
documents. If you have never had a PA photo ID or are not in PennDOT’s system, you must show the following documents to get the free PennDOT photo ID:

Official Social Security card (not a copy) AND one of the following:

  • Valid U.S. passport
  • Certificate of U.S. citizenship or naturalization
  • Official birth certificate:
    If you were born in PA    , you can either:
    a) Show an official raised-seal birth certificate. It cannot be a photocopy or hospital registration form.
    b) OR ask PennDOT to verify your birth record at a Driver License Center.  Once it is verified, you will receive a letter from PennDOT. You can bring the letter to a Driver License Center instead of a birth certificate.
    If you were not born in PA, you must show an official raised-seal birth certificate. It cannot be a photocopy or hospital registration form AND two of the following proofs of residency:
  • Lease agreement
  • Current utility bills
  • W-2 form
  • Tax records
  • Mortgage documents
  • Current gun permit

How to get a Dept. of State (DOS) “for voting only” photo ID:
If you don’t have all of the documents needed to get a regular PennDOT non-driver
photo ID, you can apply for a free DOS “for voting only” photo ID at a PennDOT Driver License Center. You will need to provide your birth date, Social Security number (not card), and two proofs of residency. You will need to try to get the regular PennDOT ID and be rejected before being allowed to apply for the DOS voting-only photo ID. Call the Dept. of State at 877-VotesPA (877-868-3772) for more information.

You can find a list of PennDOT Driver License Centers by calling 800-932-4600 or visiting www.dmv.state.pa.us. Call ahead to make sure the center is open when you plan to go. Leave yourself plenty of time to get the documents you need!

Please note that the PA Dept. of State continues to change the requirements for getting a free photo ID. For the latest information, or if you have problems getting the free ID, call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) or visit www.aclupa.org/voterID.