Pennsylvania voters in the Nov. 6 general election will not be required to show photo identification after all.

Commonwealth Court Judge

this morning delayed the Pennsylvania

after hearing two days of testimony last week.

Simpson's order puts the photo ID requirement in place next year.

Election workers will still be allowed to ask voters for a valid photo ID, but people without it can vote on a regular voting machine in the polling place and would not have to cast a provisional ballot or prove their identity to election officials after the election.

It could easily be the final word on the law just five weeks before the Nov. 6 election, though an appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is expected. Simpson, of Nazareth, previously refused to strike down the law, which was passed earlier this year by the Pennsylvania Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett in an effort to fight voter fraud. Testimony before Simpson last week indicated there were issues in all voters getting access to the card.

Victory for Democrats

The decision from the former Northampton County Court judge delivered a hard-fought victory to Democrats who said it was a ploy to defeat President Barack Obama and other opponents who said it would prevent the elderly and minorities from voting.

"It's a great day when democracy prevails in America," said Alan Jennings, executive director of the Bethlehem-based Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley Inc.

State Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton, called Simpson's decision good news.

"Obviously there were tremendous flaws with the ID law in terms of its implementation," he said. "And the very real prospect was that people who were legitimately registered voters could have conceivably been denied their right to vote under which the law had been structured."

Democrat Daniel McNeill, who's running in Pennsylvania's 133rd Legislative District, shook his head when asked about his reaction to the decision.

"It's a mess," he said during a visit to Easton to talk with The Express-Times editorial board. "I've been voting for 45 years and I've never had a problem. Why now?"

His opponent, Republican candidate David Molony, also met with the board. The 133rd District is represented by state Rep. Joseph Brennan, D-Lehigh/Northampton, who ended his re-election bid after he was

.

"Perhaps it moved too quickly," Molony said, referring to the law's passage. "I'd rather see something done well than hurriedly."

The legislation received no Democrat votes.

Corbett: Efforts continue

In an afternoon statement, Corbett said: “We are pleased with Judge Simpson’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the voter ID law. While we believe we have made it possible for every registered voter who needs voter identification to obtain one, we’ll continue our efforts for the next election and all future elections, to make sure every registered voter has the proper identification in an effort to preserve the integrity of our voting process in Pennsylvania.”

Secretary of State Carol Aichele, whose department oversees elections in Pennsylvania, urged voters to make sure they have ID for the May 21, 2013, primary election.

“We will continue our education and outreach efforts, as directed by the judge in his order, to let Pennsylvanians know the voter ID law is still on track to be fully implemented for future elections, and we urge all registered voters to make sure they have acceptable ID," Aichele said in a statement.

***

GET 'EM FOR NEXT TIME

Pennsylvania Driver's License and Photo ID Centers offer state Department of State voter ID cards in addition to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation identification.

To get the Department of State card, an individual need only give his or her name, date of birth, Social Security number and address; proof of residence is not required.

PennDOT will then, while the individual is at the driver license center, confirm with the Department of State that the applicant is a registered voter. Upon confirmation, the applicant will get a Department of State voter ID card.

Staff members Tommy Rowan and Janice Blake-Piccotti and The Associated Press contributed to this report.