The date at the top right corner of the PennCard will make a difference during the elections in November. PennCards will count as valid photo ID under the new voter ID law, while IDs from Drexel, Pennsylvania State and Point Park universities and LaSalle College will not. The law, which passed on March 14, stipulates that a valid ID must have an expiration date. Currently, those four schools do not have expiration dates on their cards. Other valid IDs include Pennsylvania drivers licenses, and free photo IDs issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Out-of-state drivers licenses are invalid.
There could be many more colleges in Pennsylvania facing this problem, said the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania Legal Director Vic Walczak. Students will think that their college IDs will allow them to vote, “but you have to read the fine print,” he said.
“If you show up on election day and you can’t vote regularly, you have to vote provisionally, and there is no way that in the six-day window they give you that you’re going to be able to get the necessary ID to have your vote count.” A provisional ballot is cast when there is dispute regarding a voter’s eligibility to vote. If the voter can prove his or her eligibility within a given time frame, then the vote is counted.
Full Article: The Daily Pennsylvanian :: PennCards approved as valid voter ID.