Pennsylvania Republicans eye referendums to get past vetoes
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans who control Pennsylvania’s Legislature are looking to voter referendums to get around Gov. Tom Wolf and make policy that the Democrat cannot block with his veto pen. Republicans have newly unveiled a proposed constitutional amendment to expand Pennsylvania’s existing voter identification requirements. Republicans also plan to introduce another proposal to repeal Pennsylvania’s expansive mail-in voting law. Wolf has vowed to oppose both, seeing them as attacks on voting access. Democrats see Republicans as being emboldened by last month’s voter approvals of two Republican-penned proposals to expand lawmakers’ powers over a governor’s disaster emergency declarations. However, using a constitutional amendment to change the law is unusual, law professors say.