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Could Penn. Voter ID Law Help Romney Win? Up to 1 Million Voters Face Disenfranchisement
Democracy Now! / Video Report
Published: Friday 14 September 2012
“Studies have shown as many one million eligible voters in the state do not have an acceptable identification under the new law, which requires all voters to show a state driver’s license, government employee ID or a non-driver ID card issued by the state.”
With less than two months to go before the November election, we look a new voter ID law in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Studies have shown as many one million eligible voters in the state do not have an acceptable identification under the new law, which requires all voters to show a state driver’s license, government employee ID or a non-driver ID card issued by the state. In Philadelphia, it has been estimated that 18 percent of voters lack the proper ID. At least one Republican politician, Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, has already boasted that the new voter ID law will help Mitt Romney win the state. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to allow the controversial law to go into effect, or to approve a preliminary injunction. For more, we speak with two guests: Vic Walczak of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and one of the co-counsels who argued the case; and Jessie Allen, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
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ABOUT Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is the host of "Democracy Now!," a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 900 stations in North America. She is the author of "Breaking the Sound Barrier," recently released in paperback and now a New York Times best-seller.
5 comments on "Could Penn. Voter ID Law Help Romney Win? Up to 1 Million Voters Face Disenfranchisement"
September 15, 2012 3:30am
Basically the US is undemocratic, sounds to me like the Republicans want this Election by fair means or foul, mainly foul , shame on you !
September 14, 2012 2:10pm
Hey Oldhat, it is not about the ID card itself but the time alloted to get one. Had this bill been slated to go into effect after this election there would have been less than half the hue and cry about it. As it and most other state ID laws stnd, they were designed to get the more affluent into vote, who are usually R's or I's, while giving the poor, the minorities and elderly, who are usually D's a hard time. Tell me that you don't see that and I will tell you that you are one big f-g liar.
September 14, 2012 8:04pm
@pitch1934: What country do you live in where most elderly voters are Democrats?
You are correct that the poor and elderly will be disenfranchised. You are incorrect about the minorities. The only portion of minority populations that will be disenfranchised will be those who fall into either the elderly or poor categories. You already have those two groups covered, so why list minorities? While a greater percentage of minorities are poor, being a minority itself has nothing to do with the lacking a voter identification.
I agree with you about the timing. Voters need more time to obtain an ID before this election. I disagree with you opinion that the laws were designed to reduce voter turnout for minorities, seniors, and the poor. This is an unfortunate, and possibly unacceptable side effect of the voter ID laws, but it is not the reason for which the laws were created. They were created to reduce voter fraud.
The fact that voter fraud has not been proven to be a major factor is not comforting, as there is no good way right now to identify voter fraud. Just because something is easily concealed doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I urge anyone who disagrees to watch the news interviews of people who voted several times for one candidate, or the videos showing poll employees offering ballots to dead people, imposters, non US citizens and the like.
September 14, 2012 10:40am
the writer thinks there are 1000000 dead and non citizens on pa voting list ? as for true voter why do they object to having their picts taken?
September 14, 2012 6:28pm
You appear to be uninformed as to the particulars of this issue or simply so eager to place unnecessary obstacles before the rights of people you know will not vote your way.
The bottom line:
There is serious ELECTION FRAUD in high places/state, federal tools used very pointedly to disenfranchise the non-repub ballots. Just because you're too ill-informed or too partisan to admit this does not mean there is value to your hasty, foolish, simplistic notions about our 15 Amendment.