A judge ruled today that Pennsylvania's tough new Voter ID Law should be put on hold until after the Nov. 6 general election, according to an Associated Press report.
The ruling can be appealed to the state Supreme Court, which said it would expedite any further action in the case since Election Day is just five weeks away.
Do you agree with the ruling? Tell us in the comments section below.
Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson heard two days of testimony last week, as directed by the Supreme Court, to determine whether the state has made it easy enough to get a photo ID in order to vote.
Opponents say the law, and the process to get an ID, disenfranchises voters. Supporters say the law will prevent voter fraud - but that justification sparked controversy when GOP state Rep. Mike Turzai said the law will allow Gov. Mitt Romney to win Pennsylvania.
Some political analysts called the voter fraud prevention argument "a sham."
Simpson based his decision on guidelines given to him days ago by the high court justices. He ordered the state not to enforce the photo ID requirement in this year's presidential election but will allow it to go into full effect next year.
One lawyer for the plaintiffs said it appeared to be a "win." 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, according to this Huffington Post report.
A wave of new voter identification requirements has been approved in the past couple years, primarily by Republican-controlled Legislatures.
- The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana's voter ID law in 2008
- Georgia's top court upheld that state's voter ID law
- A federal court panel struck down Texas' voter ID law
- The state court in Wisconsin has blocked its voter ID laws for now.
- The Justice Department cleared New Hampshire's voter ID law earlier this year
- A federal court is reviewing South Carolina's law
In Pennsylvania, the plaintiffs – a group of registered voters including a 90-year-old Doylestown woman, plus the Homeless Advocacy Project, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – sought to block the law from taking effect in this year's election as part of a wider challenge to its constitutionality.
The constitutionality of the law was not a question before Simpson.
Rather, the state Supreme Court ordered Simpson to stop the law if he thought anyone eligible would be unable to cast a ballot because of it or if he found the state had not complied with law's promise of providing liberal access to a photo ID that voters were required to show on Election Day.
Tuesday, Oct. 9, is the last day for Pennsylvanians to register to vote in the general election.
Simpson, of Nazareth, is a former Northampton County judge.
I am now done with this thread. If you cannot read the above sentences and understand them, I do not wish to waste my time teaching simple English. Have a nice day !
I went though the same process for my mother several years ago, when air travel began to require PHOTO ID - like so many other things we do these days in a civilized world. Only it took me just a few hours to get my mother's situation addressed, but then again I was smart enough to do my homework before dragging grandmom out to PENNDOT!. The facts are these ... This law has been the non-stop subject of newspaper columns, media reports, blog posts, on-line political discussions, etc., etc., etc. since MARCH! SInce MARCH only 12,000 people (out of the purportedly 750,000 - 1 million so-called "potentially disenfranchised") bothered to see the process out to its successful conclusion. This indicates one of two things, neither of which are problems with the system: a) Voters have not been listening or caring about what was needed under the law, or b) These eligible voters couldn't be bothered with meeting a very reasonable documentation requirement that's used every day by MILLIONS of people to complete a myriad of daily life activities. People opposed to this law made it sound like they were being asked to fly to Jupiter! 12,000 out of a potential 750,000 = voter disinterest and laziness, plain and simple.
I am no authority on the law, but it seems to me just the expiration date requirement is a problem for some voters such as the elderly that may have had a PA photo driver's license, but it's expired because they no longer drive. There also are other photo ID's like Bucks' new Veteran ID card. Has a photo but no expiration date. Why can't it be accepted? Sorry, this law was too narrow and not well-thought-out from the get-go, and was right to be enjoined by the Judge. Take the time, get it right and then there will be no problem with it.
What if Romney LOST Pennsylvania and still won? Are you saying if he won even ONE of the THIRTY states with voter ID laws, the elction would be tainted?!? Please ...
Where are you from Greg?
Hurry up! Shove the law down our throats. We have to get it done now. Why? Oh, snap. Because Mike Turzai might not get re-elected.
You sound cute though, Michele. What are you doing Election Night?
I hear we don't have to show Voter ID after all. I myself am driving busloads of negros, latinos, asians, elderly, poor, and illegals to polling places and have them vote illegally, especially in heavily Republican areas so we can fix the election. What do you think of that, Shorty?
No economic lessons here folks! PHILLY JAZZ HAS AN MBA! Phillyjazz is economically sufficient. He has an MBA(douchebag).
The 55 gallon drum of Preparation H is available to you. Paid for by the Kenyan government.
Coward.
"I don't know anything about Romney, I just hate Obama." "I love to hate."
(I am looking to see if he took part in a tax amnesty program for tax cheats.)
The "D" button has never looked so big. We've got negroes, mulattos, quadroons, Hispanics, Asians, elderly, poor and mentally ill all ready to make Barack Hussein Obama a two-term president. We'll make people who already had baby have abortions or alternatively make them socialist Islamists.We'll start a web dating site for extreme right-wing women. They'll make racially charged right-wing statements about big-eared light-skinned black presidential candidates which will cause us to be immediately attracted to them. Yes, we want you!