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First Posted: 2/28/2013

HARRISBURG — Democrats on the House budget-writing committee Thursday accused the Corbett administration of not doing enough to prepare for the possibility that Pennsylvania’s embattled voter-identification law will be enforced in this year’s general election.

The lawmakers questioned Secretary of State Carol Aichele about Republican Gov. Tom Corbett’s decision not to include money for outreach efforts in his 2013-14 budget plan even though the law could be in full effect — or overturned — by the time voters head to the polls in November.

“This (law) has created tremendous confusion,” said state Rep. Matthew Bradford, D-Montgomery. “People have no idea what the status of their ability to vote is. We’re going to have to educate people. There’s got to be some appropriation for that.”

Aichele defended her department’s efforts, saying it spent $4.9 million in federal money last year on a multimedia campaign to explain the new requirement that all voters show photo ID at the polls.

Even though the law was signed in March 2012, the requirement has never been enforced because of a pending lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.