Protesters took to the state capital in Harrisburg ahead of Wednesday's hearing on a lawsuit to block Pennsylvania's controversial voter ID law.

Protesters gathered around a giant inflatable Liberty Bell on Tuesday to protest the law.

The law requires all voters to show a state-issued ID when they head to the polls this November.

Opponents of the law say it is aimed at keeping typically Democratic voters away from the polls, but supporters say the law will combat fraud.

A state Commonwealth Court judge will begin a hearing Wednesday on whether to block the law from taking effect in this year's election while the court considers a challenge to its constitutionality.

The hearing could last a week.

The law is the subject of a furious debate over voting rights as Pennsylvania is poised to play a key role in deciding the presidential contest in the Nov. 6 election.

Republicans say it's necessary to prevent fraud. But Democrats say it's an election-year scheme to steal the White House and contend that there's no track record of fraud that it would prevent.

Republican Gov. Tom Corbett signed the law in March without a single Democratic lawmaker supporting it.