PollWatch: Voters asked for ID in suburban Philadelphia

At one polling place in the Philadelphia suburbs, every voter in every election is asked to show an ID before casting a ballot.

One poll worker logs their name and assigns a voter number, while another opens the signature book for the voter to sign in Cheltenham's 7th Ward, 1st precinct.

Voters who don't have an ID, or who object, still get to vote but are asked to spell their name aloud.

On Tuesday, someone complained that the practice seemed intimidating. By state law, voters in Pennsylvania are not required to show ID unless it's the first time they are voting in a particular precinct.

"If anyone felt intimidated, they did not mention it to me," said John Lutz,  judge of elections at 400 Myrtle Ave., the Rowland Community Center.  "It's not against the law to ask. You don't have to, but we're just trying to make our job easier. It makes things run smoother. We're able to process people faster."

"If you can get the time down for processing from a minute to 30 seconds, when you are talking 700 voters, the person at the end of that line certainly appreciates it,"  Lutz said.

He said more than half the registered voters have voted there before and arrived with their IDs out.

"Maybe 1 percent aren't willing to produce it, and that's fine. We say, 'Ok, spell your name.' "

Augustine Joseph, 70, a longtime Cheltenham voter, said she always arrives with her ID ready.

"They always ask for an ID. I thought it was the law,"  she said.

Did she feel intimidated? "Not really because I thought that was the rule. Next time, I'll know."