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Court Date For Pennsylvania's Voter ID Law Set

By Cherri Gregg

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The ACLU of Pennsylvania announced Thursday that its lawsuit over Pennsylvania's new Voter ID law has a trial date.

Witold Walcvak is the legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania. He says the voter ID law will now have its day in court.

"We had our first meeting with the trial judge, Judge Robert Simpson. And he has scheduled us for a 5 to 7 day trial beginning on July 25th."

The trial date comes just one day after the Department of State announced process that allows Pennsylvania-born voters to obtain a photo ID without first obtaining a birth certificate. Department of State spokesman Ron Ruman:

"All Pennsylvania natives need to do is to go into a PennDOT center and give some information about their parents, when they were born, where they were born and then PennDOT will electronically transmit that information to the Department of Health.

"Then once the Department of Health has verified that the person's birth information is on file, it will then send the information electronically back to PennDOT. At that point PennDOT will send a letter to the individual saying they've had their birth records have been verified and they can come into driver license center with their social security card and two proof of residence and they can get their Photo ID card."

Ruman says the new process takes about 10 days and does not impact on the process for voters born outside of Pennsylvania. He says the Department of Health is also offering refunds to voters who purchased a Pennsylvania birth certificate after March 14, 2012. He says voters can go to one of the six Health Department locations statewide and present the birth certificate and receipt for the $10 fee and can get the refund.

Walcvak says the new process does not affect the ACLU lawsuit.

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