Stringent voter ID law in Pa. could prevent 750,000 from voting
AP Photo/Steven Senne
The law, passed this May ostensibly to prevent voter fraud, requires all voters in Pennsylvania to show a valid photo ID at the polls.
Among those acceptable forms of photo ID include a state-issued driver's license, a valid U.S. passport, a U.S. military ID, a government-issued employee ID, an ID card from an accredited Pennsylvania higher learning institution, or a photo ID card issued by a Pennsylvania care facility, such as an assisted living residence or personal care home.
According to the survey, 758,939 voters - 9.2 percent - could not be matched in state databases as having Pennsylvania driver's licenses, the most common form of photo ID in the state.
Of those 9.2 percent, about 22 percent - or 167,566 people - are categorized as "inactive" voters, according to the data. A person can be characterized as an "inactive" voter if he or she has not voted in five years and has not responded to a state inquiry about his or her current address. Federal and state law also mandate that an "inactive voter" be kept on the state registration list until he or she fails to vote in two consecutive general elections for federal office following the notification.
"Even though many voters identified in this comparison as not having PennDOT IDs are 'inactive voters', most of whom have not voted since 2007, we will err on the side of caution and include them in this mailing," said Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele in a statement released alongside the study.
Even if voters are classified as "inactive" with 100 percent accuracy, however, that leaves nearly 600,000 "active" voters who lack driver's licenses and may not be able to cast their votes on Election Day.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele had previously said that 99 percent of Pennsylvania voters had the photo ID they needed to vote this November.
The controversial legislation has come under particular scrutiny in the last few weeks after Republican Mike Turzai, Pennsylvania's House Majority Leader, suggested during a June Republican State Committee meeting that the legislation aimed to benefit Mitt Romney's electoral prospects this November.
"We are focused on making sure that we meet our obligations that we've talked about for years," Turzai said in June, listing off a litany of Republican accomplishments in the state, according to Politics PA. "Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it's done. First pro-life legislation - abortion facility regulations - in 22 years, done. Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done."
The remarks inspired widespread criticism from Pennsylvania Democrats, who decried it as an admission that Republican legislators were attempting to disenfranchise Democratic voters.
The Pennsylvania Department of State, however, maintains that the law merely aims to deter people from voting illegally.
"We are committed to helping any eligible voter who does not have an acceptable ID get one to be able to vote in November," Aichele said. "We are continuing our outreach to get the word to voters about this law. The goal of this law is to allow every legal voter to cast a ballot, but detect and deter anyone attempting to vote illegally."
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BTW, what happened to that story? Did Karl Rove call off the Republicon robot lap dogs?
The Republican governor of Michigan has already vetoed such legislation because, as he said, it's a solution looking for a problem. These laws are nothing more that a concerted effort by Republicans to suppress voting. If someone votes fraudulently, that's already a crime. In America, you're innocent until proven guilty.
Why do Republicans hate America??
It has been proven that the Democrats have been casting votes for dead people and encouraging non-citizens to vote and vote often. They are a disgrace.
Chris Matthews:
July 20, 2011, in a discussion on voter fraud said this:
MATTHEWS: Because they -- and I know this goes on. It has gone on in old-time politics. It has gone on since the '50s that I know about. People call up, see if you voted or you're not going to vote. The, all of a sudden, somebody does come and vote for you. This is an old strategy in big city politics.
He went on to say:
"I know all about it in North Philly. It's what went on. And I believe it still goes on. The question is, can we correct it without screwing up our system? I want people to vote, that's the number one goal. But I also want to make sure people don't cheat. So, let's get out of here."
I HAVE a state-issued photo ID, and I'm probably asked to display it two or three times a year. I don't drive, I haven't flown a commercial airline in years, and retailers almost never "card" me when I buy restricted products. I've had my current bank accounts for years, I don't cash checks at currency exchanges, and no, I didn't need to show my photo ID to rent an apartment.
Now make me five or ten years older than I am, give me a minor but mobility-limiting disability (say, painful arthritis, heart failure, or COPD), limit my income to Social Security ($1,000 to $2,000 a month), and move me out of a city with good public transportation into the suburbs, exurbs, or a rural area. How do I reach a PennDOT office to apply for an ID? Am I physically able to stand in line to get it? And how will I fit that $13.50 ID fee into a budget that's already stretched to its limit?
It's easy for young, healthy, comfortably-off people to assume that what's "normal" for them is "normal" for everyone. Yet aged, disabled, impoverished citizens have every bit as much right to vote as citizens who are young, healthy, and comfortably-off. And you can't deny them that right to vote in a vain attempt to eliminate a problem that doesn't exist!
13.50 sounds cheap to make sure that a voter is who they say they are.
The poll tax was overturned by the Supremes in the 1960's.
If they are successful, it will be the end of democracy.
That they have to do it means they know their ideas suck
when compared to any other.