Elizabeth Bacharach
Senior Writer
As of April 2012, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania instituted a new voter ID law requiring voters to present a valid photo ID with an expiration date every time they vote. As University IDs do not have an expiration date on them, this was potentially problematic for students without a Pennsylvania license, passport or any other form of photo identification. The University, therefore, took action.
Starting Monday, Sept. 17, the Campus Activities & Programs (CAP) Center and the Switchboard began distributing free expiration stickers to affix to University IDs, an option under the new law. The CAP center will be giving out the stickers Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and the Switchboard, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
“Everything the University is doing in response to the state’s new voter ID law is about making sure students who wish to exercise their right to vote this November are able to do so,” Andy Hirsch, director of media communications, said. “[That is why we] continue to publicize both the impact the new law will have and the steps the University is taking to make sure student IDs will be accepted as valid forms of photo ID.”
New stories are constantly updated and posted to the University homepage and social media channels, and campus-wide announcements have been sent out. A website has also been created focusing on voter registration that can help students understand the new law and voting this November: http://www.bucknell.edu/x79070.xml.