Burns votes once again for voter ID to safeguard Pennsylvania elections
Rep. Frank Burns October 6, 2023 | 9:31 AM
HARRISBURG, Oct. 6 – Believing that a key to election integrity is requiring voter ID, state Rep. Frank Burns once again recently cast his vote in support of a proposal that would require voters to show ID at the polls.
“Whenever voter ID has been suggested in the past, I broke ranks, stood my ground and voted my belief that voter ID was needed to allay fears of election fraud and guarantee election integrity,” Burns said. “Now, the winds are changing, and more legislators are following my lead and supporting voter ID as a way to instill trust in our election process.”
Burns pointed to surveys which indicate 70% of registered voters in Pennsylvania want voter ID at the polls.
“Voting is a sacred right, and we should be doing everything to protect it and restore voters’ confidence in the process, especially when so many Pennsylvanians believe ID should be required in order to vote.”
The proposal Burns supported is similar to legislation that he recently introduced with two Republicans.
“I’m hopeful this voter ID proposal will pass and become law, but if it doesn’t happen with this measure, I’m fully prepared to advocate for my own bipartisan bill to further push the issue.”
Burns said that requiring ID of voters isn’t a new idea. Pennsylvanians already present identification the first time they vote, and when they sign up to vote by mail. Plus, photo ID is often required as proof of identity in many instances, such as at doctor’s offices, and Burns has lobbied for putting recipients’ photos on ACCESS ID cards to create greater accountability in the state’s public welfare programs.