The Pennsylvania General Assembly recently passed a law requiring valid photo ID in order to vote. While the law states that it will allow college IDs as a valid form of voting ID, it also includes language that requires all IDs to have expiration dates. This survey finds that very few colleges in the Commonwealth print expiration dates on their issued IDs, thus potentially disenfranchising the majority of students in the state.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly recently passed a law requiring valid photo ID in order to vote. While the law states that it will allow college IDs as a valid form of voting ID, it also includes language that requires all IDs to have expiration dates. This survey finds that very few colleges in the Commonwealth print expiration dates on their issued IDs, thus potentially disenfranchising the majority of students in the state.
Of the 110 schools surveyed, only 15 schools have expiration dates printed on all IDs. An additional four schools have some form of date, while 91 colleges and universities in the state do not have acceptable ID for voting, under the current law. This represents at least 83% of the schools in the state and at least 84% of the students. Thus more than half a million students in the state are affected by the new law, and many of them may be disenfranchised in upcoming elections.
Voter fraud isn’t a problem in Pennsylvania: Voter engagement is.
It’s estimated that only 74% of all eligible Americans are registered to vote and in 2008, a year that saw one of the highest turnouts in recent history, only 63% cast their ballot. Lawmakers should be looking for solutions that encourage full participation in democracy, not creating laws that set up hurdles for committed voters.
PennPIRG’s recommendations to increase voter participation include Election Day registration and automatic registration.
Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania:
Yes – Do have expiration dates
Carlow College
Carnegie Mellon University
Chatham College
Community College of Beaver County
Computer Learning Network - Camp Hill
Franklin & Marshall College
Geneva College - Beaver Falls
Lehigh University
Susquehanna University
Swarthmore College
Thomas Jefferson University
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
University of Pittsburgh
Some – see exceptions
Lebanon Valley College
*Current ones do not, new ones will
La Roche College
*Have stickers with semester
Marywood College
*If you live in a residence hall
University of Scranton
*Undergrads have graduation dates
No – Do not have expiration dates
Albright College
Allegheny College
DeSales University
Alvernia College
Baptist Bible College and Seminary
Arcadia University
Berks Technical Institute
Bloomsburg University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Bucks County Community College
Butler County Community College
Cabrini College
California University
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
Cedar Crest College
Cheyney University
Clarion University
College Misericordia
Community College of Allegheny County
Community College of Philadelphia
Computer Learning Network – Altoona
Delaware County Community College
Dickinson College
Drexel University
Duquesne University
East Stroudsburg University
Eastern College
Edinboro University
Elizabethtown College
Gannon University
Gettysburg College
Grove City College
Gwynedd Mercy College
Harrisburg Area Community College
Haverford College
Immaculata College
Indiana University
Juniata College
Keystone College
King's College
Kutztown University
La Salle University
Lafayette College
Lehigh Carbon Community College
Lincoln University
Lock Haven University
Lycoming College
Mansfield University
Mercyhurst University
Messiah College
Millersville University
Montgomery County Community College
Moore College of Art & Design
Moravian College
Muhlenberg College - Allentown
Neumann College - Aston
Northampton Community College
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education - Harrisburg
Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University - Behrend College - Erie
Pennsylvania State University - Schuylkill Campus
Philadelphia College of Bible
Point Park College
Reading Area Community College
Robert Morris College
Saint Francis College
Saint Joseph's University
Seton Hill College
Shippensburg University
Slippery Rock University
St. Vincent College
Temple University
Thaddeus Stevens State School of Technology
Thiel College
University of Pittsburgh at Johnson
University of the Arts
Ursinus College
Valley Forge Military College
Villanova University
Washington and Jefferson College
Waynesburg College
West Chester University
Westminster College
Westminster Theological Seminary
Westmoreland County Community College
Widener University
Wilkes University
York College
