The process for voting has become more complicated this year as Pennsylvania

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1 Current News in Special Education Voter Registration 2012 Special Edition Education Services Department 400 North Third Street, P.O. Box 1724 Harrisburg, PA (800) Voter Registration and IEPs This is the time of year when we think about elections. A tie in for special education is how the transition plan developed for special education students should include a voter registration option. Students should be given the opportunity to register to vote as part of the IEP planning process. Parents and the student have the right to accept the offer, defer the offer or refuse the offer. The IEP, on the transition pages, should reflect what if any actions will be taken within that year related to voter registration for students turning 18 or older. In This Issue Voter Registration and IEPs Birth Certificates Voter ID Dates to Remember Social Security Replacement Card We recommend that students and parents who accept the offer be given a voter registration form for completion. Public school employees should never make recommendations for political party affiliation. This does not mean that staff cannot assist students in correctly filling out the information such as name and address. Remember that homeless students can register to vote even if their permanent address has been taken away. They are able to list the current shelter they have available. The process for voting has become more complicated this year as Pennsylvania has a new Voter ID law. Registered voters will have to bring a legal photo ID with them to be able to vote on November 6 and in future elections. We have included some useful information to help with the process for you to review, share with families, or make a part of your lessons. Page 1

2 Type of Identification Required -Identification issued by the United States Government that includes your name, a photograph, and an expiration date that is not expired.* - Identification issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that includes your name, a photograph, and an expiration date that is not expired (unless issued by the Department of Transportation, in which case the expiration of the identification cannot be more than 12 months old). If you would like to subscribe to PSEA's Current News in Special Education, please go to news Click on Current News in Special Education and follow the directions for the Stay Connected Section. - Identification issued by a municipality of this Commonwealth to an employee of that municipality that includes your name, a photograph, and an expiration date that has not passed. - Identification issued by an accredited Pennsylvania public or private institution of higher learning that includes your name, a photograph, and an expiration date that has not passed. - Identification issued by a Pennsylvania care facility that includes your name, a photograph, and an expiration date that has not passed. *In the case of a document from an agency of the armed forces of the United States or its reserve components, including the Pennsylvania National Guard, which establishes the voter as a current member or a veteran of the United States Armed Forces or National Guard and does not designate a specific date on which the document expires, the document must include a notation indicating that the expiration is indefinite. (PA Department of Transportation) Birth Certificates Comments or questions about the items in this newsletter may be directed to this mailbox: bmiller@psea. org A person requesting a copy of a birth certificate must be a person named on the birth certificate who is 18 years of age or older. The list of acceptable requestors expands to legal representative, husband/wife, parent/step parent (step parent must submit marriage record supporting the relationship), brother/sister/ halfbrother/half sister, son/daughter/stepson/stepdaughter (requires marriage record supporting the position), grandparent/great grandparent, grandchild/great grandchild, or person who has power of attorney for the person named on birth certificate or immediate family member listed above. There is a $10 fee for each certified copy. Check or money order should be made payable to Vital Records. This fee is waived for individuals who served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces or their dependents. Pennsylvania Birth Certificates can be obtained through an online order and requested by mail or in person at six locations across the state in the Division of Vital Records (listed here). Page 2

3 1910 West 26 th Street Scranton State Office Bldg Room 112 Erie, PA Lackawanna Ave Scranton, PA Forum Place th Ave. 555 Walnut Street, First Floor Suite 360 Harrisburg, PA Pittsburgh, PA Room 401 Central Building 110 North 8 th Street 101 South Mercer Street Suite 108 New Castle, PA Philadelphia, PA Voter ID Pennsylvania citizens may request a birth certificate to help meet requirements of the Voter ID law, in which case the birth certificate will be issued free of charge. In order to receive a certificate, each person must complete a Voter ID birth certificate application form (included in this newsletter) and mail it to one of the public offices or you can apply in person at one of the public offices during normal business hours. If you use Twitter, you can receive updates on special education when new information becomes available. Information will be sent as it is received rather than on a daily or weekly schedule. You can sign on to follow at miller Non Driver Photo Identification Students seeking a non driver photo identification can have the $13.50 fee waived for individuals completing the Oath/Affirmation Voter ID form (also provided in this newsletter). All identification documentation is still required to obtain an Identification Card as follows: Step 1 To obtain a Pennsylvania Photo Identification card, an individual needs to visit a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Driver License Center with a completed Application for an Initial Photo Identification Card; form DL 54A, (copy provided within this newsletter) and the following: Social Security Card AND One of the following: Certificate of U.S. Citizenship Certificate of Naturalization Valid U.S. Passport *Birth Certificate with a raised seal PLUS Two proofs of **residency such as lease agreements, current utility bills, mortgage documents, W 2 forms, tax records (visit the PA Department of Transportation website for other possible options for these two proofs of residency). Page 3

4 The Driver License Center will accept applications for certified copies of birth certificates and will forward them to the Department of Health, but this will require the student to return to the Driver License Center a second time with all of the proof to have his/her photo taken and receive a card. Dates to Remember General Election Registration Deadline Last day to apply for Civilian Absentee Ballot Last day for County Board of Elections to receive voted civilian absentee ballots General Election Social Security Replacement Card Many current updates and other helpful information on Special Education can be found on the PSEA website. Go to: Attached you will find the application for a replacement card from social security. The application process is free. Having the card is one of the required documents that must be provided to the Penn Dot Center to be able to have a Photo ID processed. Teaching and Learning > Special & Gifted Education PA Bureau of Special Education BECs Voter Registration As Part of Transition to Adult Life found at: or Google: PA Bureau of Special Ed it s on the front page. Page 4

5 SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION Application for a Social Security Card USE THIS APPLICATION TO: Applying for a Social Security Card is free! Apply for an original Social Security card Apply for a replacement Social Security card Change or correct information on your Social Security number record IMPORTANT: You MUST provide a properly completed application and the required evidence before we can process your application. We can only accept original documents or documents certified by the custodian of the original record. Notarized copies or photocopies which have not been certified by the custodian of the record are not acceptable. We will return any documents submitted with your application. For assistance call us at or visit our website at Original Social Security Card To apply for an original card, you must provide at least two documents to prove age, identity, and U.S. citizenship or current lawful, work-authorized immigration status. If you are not a U.S. citizen and do not have DHS work authorization, you must prove that you have a valid non-work reason for requesting a card. See page 2 for an explanation of acceptable documents. NOTE: If you are age 12 or older and have never received a Social Security number, you must apply in person. Replacement Social Security Card To apply for a replacement card, you must provide one document to prove your identity. If you were born outside the U.S., you must also provide documents to prove your U.S. citizenship or current, lawful, work-authorized status. See page 2 for an explanation of acceptable documents. Changing Information on Your Social Security Record To change the information on your Social Security number record (i.e., a name or citizenship change, or corrected date of birth) you must provide documents to prove your identity, support the requested change, and establish the reason for the change. For example, you may provide a birth certificate to show your correct date of birth. A document supporting a name change must be recent and identify you by both your old and new names. If the name change event occurred over two years ago or if the name change document does not have enough information to prove your identity, you must also provide documents to prove your identity in your prior name andfor in some cases your new legal name. If you were born outside the U.S. you must provide a document to prove your U.S. citizenship or current lawful, work-authorized status. See page 2 for an explanation of acceptable documents. LIMITS ON REPLACEMENT SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS Public Law limits the number of replacement Social Security cards you may receive to 3 per calendar year and 10 in a lifetime. Cards issued to reflect changes to your legal name or changes to a work authorization legend do not count toward these limits. We may also grant exceptions to these limits if you provide evidence from an official source to establish that a Social Security card is required. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS If you have any questions about this form or about the evidence documents you must provide, please visit our website at for additional information as well as locations of our offices and Social Security Card Centers. You may also call Social Security at You can also find your nearest office or Card Center in your local phone book. Form SS-5 ( ) ef (08-20f 1) Destroy Prior Editions Page 1

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