Why are Democrats doing everything in their power to stop voter ID laws?

It’s been two years since we saw rioters descend on the U.S. Capitol in an act that can be categorized as equal parts cowardice and delusion. The world is now watching as a similar scene unfolds in Brazil. On Jan. 8, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in the nation’s capital; 1,500 people were detained. The two events are remarkably similar: broken windows, ripped-up documents — all under the guise of a “stolen” election.

When the riots end, Brazil will undoubtedly face the same daunting question as the United States on how to restore faith in our elections.

Across the political spectrum, trust in our most respected institutions, including our electoral system, is fading. That’s thanks to deeply partisan figures from both major parties — yes, Democrats are complicit here, too — who have sought to undermine confidence in our electoral system for their own benefit.

This didn’t start with Donald Trump, and it certainly hasn’t ended with him. Stacy Abrams, who ran for governor in 2022 despite never conceding her loss in 2018, claimed that Georgia’s 2018 gubernatorial election was “rigged.” In 2020, Hillary Clinton said that then-candidate Joe Biden should “never concede under any circumstances” — even, presumably, had Trump been legitimately elected by the American people.

We know what happened instead — and condemn the ego that led to the acts of Jan. 6, 2021, and the defiling of our electoral system. Trump was one — but not the sole source — of the narcissistic, power-hungry politicians and their supporters who did what was in their personal interest rather than think of the ramifications it would have on the country.

The result? There is little trust that we have fair, secure elections. In the months leading up to the November 2022 midterms, CNN polling showed that nearly 60% of Americans lack confidence that our elections reflect the will of the people, and an astonishing 48% believe it’s at least somewhat likely that the results of an election will be overturned in the next few years.

While those on the extreme margins of the right and left seem to want an endless war against the “other side” — and it certainly makes for good headlines — the majority of us do not want that.

Instead, we want transparent elections. We want confidence restored in our institutions. A 2022 poll conducted by the Commonwealth Foundation shows that 86% of Pennsylvanians support modernizing election laws to include voter identification, clear voting deadlines, and limits on private, third-party funding of elections.

Here in Pennsylvania, Republican lawmakers are taking steps to do just that. Lawmakers in the Senate just advanced a proposed constitutional amendment that would require voter identification in elections. After advancing last year for a first time, the amendment must move through the House and then will go to the voters for the final say. The amendment would help increase access to secure voting by requiring the state to provide free identification to those who don’t have it — a win for those concerned about access to voting in low-income communities, and a measure that would increase access to other services within the state.

We’ve seen improved outcomes from voter ID measures firsthand in places like Georgia, where — despite massive political posturing in the face of 2021 election integrity measures — voter turnout increased for the midterm elections. Why are Democrats doing everything in their power to stop it?

It shouldn’t be too much to ask of our elected officials to advance legislation that has gone through a lengthy, transparent process — particularly when it’s a reform that is supported by the very people who voted the representatives into office.

But apparently, that is a bridge too far for Pennsylvania House Democrats, who are now fighting to prevent Republicans from even convening a regular session. Last week, the state Senate voted to advance three ballot measures, including voter ID, but a final roadblock remains with newly elected state House Speaker Mark Rozzi refusing to even allow a vote on the proposed House rules.

Pennsylvanians deserve the opportunity to have their voices heard, and to decide for themselves what our elections will look like in the future. To stand in the way of that happening, as the House Democrats seem hellbent on doing, is the true suppression of voter voices.