Pa. Senate Vote On Voter ID Bill Not Certain For Fall

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - A spokesman for the state Senate Republican leader says there's a lot of interest in a House-passed bill that would require voter photo ID's, but says the support of the Corbett administration doesn't change the equation much.

The bill that would require voters to show photo ID at Pennsylvania polling places passed the House in June amid heated, emotional debate, with Democrats claiming voters will be disenfranchised by an effort to crack down on voter fraud they say doesn't exist.

Erik Arneson – spokesman for Chester Republican Dominic Pileggi, the Senate majority leader – says there are many Senate Republicans interested in the bill and it could get a vote this fall, but it's not a slam dunk "It's not, no. We have not had a full discussion on the issue with the caucus and until that happens, everything is uncertain."

This week, the Corbett administration's top election official announced her support for the bill, and while Arneson says knowing the administration's position is helpful, he says it doesn't substantially change the prospects for a vote.

Reported by Harrisburg Bureau Chief Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio 1060