HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) has already called for national voter identification ahead of the midterms.

He’ll get a chance to make that happen when he votes yes on the SAVE Act, which would tighten requirements to vote, though the Constitution grants states authority over elections. The federal bill has already passed the House.

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Republicans in Harrisburg have their own version of voter ID. It’s not as strict, and it’s not getting as much attention, either. But State Rep. Chris Gebhard (R-Lebanon/Lancaster) said voters want to see some sort of change.

“I’ve been on record to say, I think we need to tear the whole system down and rebuild it,” Gebhard said. “I think it is flawed.”

Flaws like people dropping off multiple mail-in ballots at once. That’s illegal in the state. Gebhard said he saw videos as part of an investigative committee.

“He fans the ballots out like a deck of cards, almost like he knew there was a camera there watching him, and then he closes and pushes them in,” Gebhard said.

Gebhard said he prefers the old system of absentee ballots with excuses, not universal mail-in ballots. He also wants in-person voters to show an ID.

“We need to create a streamlined, efficient, effective program where we’re issuing IDs to citizens of the state and that those IDs are what they’re showing when they’re going to vote,” he said.

State Sen. Steven Santarsiero (D-Bucks) said bipartisan voter ID “is a conversation to be had.” Upwards of 80% of Pennsylvanians support some form of voter ID.

President Donald Trump’s SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Most people, Santarsiero said, don’t have passports.

“And for many people trying to get their birth certificate, especially women whose names may have changed since they were born, that becomes a hurdle that makes it very difficult to be able to vote,” Santarsiero said.

But Republicans argue it’s too easy. The National Conference of State Legislatures ranked Pennsylvania among the states with the fewest voting requirements.

Republicans in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and former Gov. Tom Corbett (R) passed a strict voter ID law in 2012. PennDOT even started issuing free voting-only cards. However, the Commonwealth Court ruled the law unconstitutional in 2014.

The state requires a voter who is voting for the first time in an election district to show proof of identification, which can be either a photo or a non-photo ID. Returning voters generally do not need to provide any identification.

“Showing someone that I have a Met-Ed electric bill is not really a qualifying factor to me to be like, ‘You should be able to qualify to vote for that,’” Gebhard said. “That doesn’t work. I think the bar should be higher than that.”

Democrats say it was Trump who screamed stolen election, so, of course, GOP voters are mistrustful of the process.

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“All of this is predicated on this notion that somehow there’s widespread voter fraud, and we know that’s not the case,” Santarsiero said.

Gebhard said, “I would tell them that I’m happy to take them around my district. I can introduce them to plenty of people that think there is a problem.”

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