About a week ago, Republican Mike Turzai, Pennsylvania's House Majority Leader, made a startling confession. Boasting about the state's new voter-ID law, which was ostensibly about the integrity of the electoral process, Turzai bragged that the law "is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania."
The surprising candor helped reinforce what Democrats have argued all along: these laws are about disenfranchising voters Republicans don't like. The right usually maintains the trumped up "voter fraud" pretense, but once in a great while, a GOP official will slip and tell the truth.
And the truth, at least in the Keystone State, is that Republicans are prepared to block a huge chunk of the voting-age population from participating in their own democracy.
Nearly 10 percent of Pennsylvania's registered voters do not have photo identification cards from the state transportation department and could be ineligible to vote in November under the state's new Republican-backed voter ID law.
The Pennsylvania Department of State reported Tuesday that more than 758,000 registered voters lack a standard driver's license or a non-driver photo ID. That's 9.2 percent of the state's 8.2 million voters.
In Philadelphia, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 6-1, 18 percent of the city's registered voters do not have the state photo ID, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
One of them is a 93-year-old widow by the name of Viviette Applewhite.
Can this change the outcome of the 2012 election? Actually, yes.
Most recent polling shows President Obama with fairly strong leads in Pennsylvania, but I suspect none of the surveys account for the fact that Republican state policymakers just put new, unnecessary barriers 9.2% of Pennsylvania's voters and the ballot box.
The next question, of course, is what the demographic breakdown might be for the 758,000 registered voters in the state who lack photo ID, but if I had to guess, I'd say a very high majority are either poor, students, minorities, or some combination therein. In other words, they're likely Democratic voters -- which is why Republicans approved this law in the first place.
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Here in rural Berks County, when asked for ID, I tried to vote in the primary by showing my Voters Registration Card. In the past, I never even had to show that- just told them my name, and signed the book.
"Sorry, we need to see a photo ID"- and he looked at my drivers license, then at me, to see if he got a match!
So, yes, things will get interesting here in the Keystone State!
We should all get Mitt Romney photo stickers to paste over our drivers or state id photos.
See if they get the joke.
Considering how bad most driver's license photos are, will poll workers deny people the opportunity to vote because those photos don't look enough like the actual person?
And the Republican election campaign gets into full swing. Strong on the issues!
I had to show my ID at the polls, and I was asked by my neighbor who has known me my entire life, including looking at me and saying, "Jen, I need to see your ID."
I am totally OK with the poster child for this disturbing move to be Mrs. Landingham.
More seriously, this means that Get Out the Vote drives now have to include Get a Photo ID as well. Instead of just sitting back and complaining about how few have them, let's do something about it.
Exactly what I was thinking. When they throw stuff like this at you, get busy thinking of how to match them instead of just whining. In this age of technology, official picture takers can send photos to the DMV and start the process.
I think it is crucial for the Obama campaign to also focus on mobilizing volunteers to help people obtain the crucial documents ( i.e. photo IDs or non-drivers licenses) so they are not prevented from voting in November.
In PA you can't get a photo ID at the DMV every day. They only do photo-IDs at certain times...
This is why we need mandatory state tattoos , with the democrats tattooed a with big blue D , so that it will make it easier to identify them and deny them a vote.
This current system might mistakenly involve a few people and independents who would actually vote Republican
Does a blue tattoo show up well enough on black skin, or do we assume they'll just disenfranchise anyone dark enough for that to be an issue on?
I can only hope the Democrats are engaging in a MASSIVE outreach effort to help the 9.2% get the needed photo ID. I live an hour from PA. I would go help to do this.
Nah, they are probably squandering this giant opportunity to frame the Republicans as unAmerican while waiting on a court to step in, and for their fancy TV commercials to take hold. Republicans have given Democrats an excuse to shake hands with and build a good rapport with every voter in Pennsylvania. The Republican disenfranchisement program works only if we let stand by and stew. The Republicans are counting on Democratic in action. It is the only way their campaign won't blow up in their faces. Why are we wringing our hands? We need to get to work.
I say it over and over, the Right will continue to ignore the Constitution, except when it comes to the 2nd Amendment.
" an excuse to shake hands with and build a good rapport with every voter in Pennsylvania. "
Yes, indeed!
I'm friends with the head of the ACLU here - voter activists are trying very hard to deal with this, but they don't have millions of dollars or thousands of workers like the GOP's allies do. The ACLU sued in state court to stop the law, but is likely to lose since the GOP-packed judiciary has been upholding these all over the country. It's a shame, but they'll probably successfully anchor their power with these tactics. Still, the PA GOP power-grab is peanuts compared to what they're doing in Florida.
God, you're an idiot. The Obama campaign has had thousands of volunteers registering voters and working to ensure voters in these states get past the ID roadblocks Republicans are throwing up. We've been working on it since late last year in Virginia, and probably longer in places that have enacted more draconian laws.
It sure is easier to sit and sneer about those useless Democrats. "We" need to get to work? Lots of us already are, and if you actually did, you'd know how off-base your assertions are.
Man. The comments on that story are nauseating. The racism oozes from them like pus from an infected wound.
The knuckle dragging stupid there is unbelievable . I asked one of the idjits to explain to me exactly how dead people vote. Or perhaps provide one example.
Wastin' your breath there though . They seem to have cornered the Faux/ Limbaugh / Beck mouth breathing demographic.
It's a narrative they've been building up in the minds of their base, brick by brick, for, quite literally, decades now. It's now reached the point that most of them accept at the most unexaminably subconscious level that any election Republicans lose is, by definition, lost due to "voter fraud." And, more specifically, there's a real and powerful sense of barely concealed, and yet thoroughly subliminated, grievance that black people and--depending on region--African Americans are allowed to vote and their votes count the same as theirs.
Racism? Well, it's interesting to note that that sense grievance does not seem to extend to Jews or persons of Asian descent despite the fact that both groups tend to vote Democratic, so its clearly a melanin-dependent kind of racism that draws on deeply held, deeply embedded racial prejudice and stereotyping. But, by the same token, if either black or Hispanic Americans suddenly started voting for Republicans, I guarantee you that that animosity would vanish overnight.
The thing that still just stuns me, however, is the way that you can go to a comment thread filled with people saying its okay to keep people without a photo id from voting because "I'm sure they have cell phones, cable TV or satellite with DVR, TIVO, blue ray, a car, a government check, tattoes, and some kind of custom nail job" and references to "the New Black Panthers" react with shock and anger when you call them racist.
My bad.
It's standard operating procedure for the right: repeat a lie over and over (and they re extremely disciplined about this), and soon people think it's the truth.
I keep seeing my right wing nut friends complaining about losing their rights.. and it's all President Obama's fault.
As I see it it's the right wing nuts who are disenfranchising people with the good right cooperation of the very people who are complaining the loudest about losing their rights. I wonder how much longer before those people are next in line to be disenfranchised.
I have nothing against requiring a photo ID, as long as it doesn't cost anything, and states make it easy to acquire. Here is Florida, the paper had an article about a woman who is vision impaired who needed a new State I.D. First, she was never notified that her I.D. was set to expire, a reminder drivers get for their licenses; second, she was required to show show a picture I.D., except the expired I.D. was not allowed; third she was required to show a social security card; she was also supposed to have two pieces of mail (such as bills) that showed her home address; and last, because she also was divorced, had to show her marriage license and divorce decree. It took her four trips to get the state I.D. Now if that isn't an impediment, I don't know what is.
That all brings up the issue of such ID's even expiring , this makes it a VOTER tax as you are indicating , and a hassle , the only place the ID would ever be used is for voting , then your going to have a winger poll worker say you can not vote because it is expired , the more they apply these laws , the more you see their evil intent and how dems are correct once again
you know republicans have no problem with this all they do is drop their pants and if the face matches the a-- they vote democrats lets beat them at their game go get your ID just so we can get these a---- out of office
What about going with vote by mail ?.
Many have been pointing that out , the gop will try and shut mail in ballots down next
more than that, they're trying to shut down the post office entire
It's FAR easier to lose an inconvenient ballot that was returned by mail than a vote in an audited voting booth. And that's even allowing for the Diebold effect.
We have vote by mail (VBM) in Oregon. Except for a few far-right wackos, we never have this debate in our state. People show proof of ID when they first register to vote; after that, it's a non-issue.
The VBM system has several other advantages. It's more convenient. Turnout is higher. There's always a paper trail, so there is no "Diebold effect." We also have cleaner elections in Oregon. For one thing, it eliminates the "last minute surprise," where candidates try to smear their opponents a few days before the election. Normally, there wouldn't be enough time for that person to respond. With VBM, the election period is several weeks long. By the last weekend, a large percentage of votes are already in. Smear someone a couple of weeks ahead, and there's a response time. Thus, the tactic makes no sense.
In most states, many people have instituted their own VBM system through absentee ballots. That's how our system came about. It wasn't revolutionary, it was evolutionary. More than half of the people were already voting by absentee ballot. It simply made no sense to have duplicate polling systems, and the state's citizens had already "voted with their feet" (so to speak) for VBM.
We all need to play by the rules and get as many citizens registered as possible. Then and only then will it be true democracy in action!
Does this disqualify absentee ballots now?
For all those who see no problem with the photo ID because it is free, think again. The card itself may be free because the state is picking up the cost but what about the states that are mandating you have a certified birth certificate. In the state of Michigan to get one of those cost any one under 65 $26 and takes 5 weeks for processing. If you want it quicker it is another $10 to get a rush which takes two. If you want overnight you have to send an overnight self-addressed,. postage paid return delivery included. Then you get to the rest of the requirements which includes a photo ID. Ha Ha you cannot get a copy of your birth certificate to prove you are you unless you have photo ID. I wonder how many other states have this kind of requirement. Oh and by the way if you are 65 or older it only costs $7 but you still have to have some kind of photo ID to obtain it.
It is the same in Iowa here , after 9/11 the fed required all this because the terorrist had fake ID's
When and which "fed required all this because the terrorist had fake ID's"? If so, it would be true in all states, and it's not.
Citizens should be demanding that if they've held the same residency and voted in the last two elections and they are listed, registered voters, they should be allowed to vote regardless of whether they have a photo ID or a birth certificate. I realize this isn't fair to new voters or those who have moved, but all these new restrictions really strike one as a poll tax and should be able to be blocked by current laws and local officials who know right from wrong. Such disparate requirements from state to state make ID requirements for voting meaningless and really un-American.
I agree we ought to be helping those who don't have photo IDs and birth certificates obtain them - that's what we should all contribute to until such requirements are free, standardized, or ruled unconstitutional.
According to a leaflet I got from the DMV in West Virginia, all states should be following this federal mandate. It was put into place back in 2005!!!! Just like everything else, however, with people involved, whoever was responsible for the implementation of this mandate in each state is waiting til the last dog is hung to get on the ball and start following it. I would recommend that you (and every other lady, especially) get certified copies of all documentation-birth certificate, marriage license(s), divorce decree(s) {the divorce decree is only needed IF you reverted to maiden name between marriages}, and then when your license is renewable, have the most recent check stubs and bills that show your current address to prove you live where you state you live.
Where is an ID card free? In Iowa, I paid $8 (I think) for my son's ID and like $20 for my license, and all we were doing was changing our address!!!!
Indiana tried to push through the birth certificate thing. Don't know if they succeeded yet; I moved. And I think of my mother, who finally got her birth certificate at age 65 so she could apply for Social Security, and my aunt, who was known by a name that she liked and which was on all her ID, but had never been legally changed. Changing the name costs money, getting an ID now often costs money, getting a birth certificate costs money, taking time off and getting transportation to someplace you can get an ID costs money. And if these are so easy for terrorists to get, why are we penalizing our own people?
I get physically ill when I learn of everything the Republicans are doing to get the White House back. I honestly believe most of them, think that it should be a, "White House". In this day and age, I am astounded of how many "minorities" refer to our President with the "N" slur. Till they find out that I am a Gay, Democrat. I was born and raised in Penn, sadly however I now reside in the Sad state of Texas. Hell with a flag. I am no saint, by any means, but what is happening in terms of this election is just plain evil.
What good is the core of the establishment if they can't even do anything about voter suppression? Wasn't anything learned from the disastrous 2000 election. That fiasco almost sunk the country's economy by swearing in the wrong candidate. And yet, the system as well as the people still see this as no big deal. This is another perfect recipe for disaster in the making.
And now you know why A) the right insists on calling this a republic and B) why the right yells about State's rights. They believe the State should have the right to abolish voting rights in this republic and enforce their agenda. They would shred the Constitution and rewrite the Declaration so as to rid us of the term we the people and the bill of rights.
I am sure the republic of China and the Cuban republic would gladly help these idiots to set up the type of "government" that they seek.
appalling and just wrong!
Has anyone in a legal department somewhere noticed that if someone wants to get the I.D. they have to pay the government some money? And has anyone in a legal department somewhere noticed that if someone wants to get the I.D., they have to read and write in one or several forms?
Our SCOTUS just decided (albeit narrowly) that the ACA was constitutional under grounds that a tax by any other name is still a tax. Well, isn't the fee for the I.D. just a poll tax by another name? And isn't the set of forms one has to read and fill out just a literacy test by another name? If no help is provided for those who can't read or pay the fees, how does this not violate the Civil Rights Act?
GOP is way ahead of you... that is why the Voting Rights Act will be before the SCOTUS in the next term..
So we sit here and complain. How many of us are actually doing something more than writing a comment? I live on a disability check of less than $1000 each month. I'm willing to put $100 into a fund to help out with those who need to pay to get a photo id but can't afford it. How many will help with that? 8 years ago, when I had a van, I picked up people to take them to vote. Anyone else willing to do that this year? I'll do it again by renting a van for the day. How about going out to senior citizen centers and asking how many need to get a photo id and taking them to get one, or helping them make sure they have the needed items to be able to get one? If you're not willing to help out in any of these simple but necessary ways, why bother complaining? Or is the complaining just because you can? This country was strong because of its citizens, not in spite of them.
Exactly - if everyone that helped getting people registered and to the polls put the same effort into getting people to the DMV to get an ID, this would not be a disenfranchisement issue.
Except in many cases, it's not a matter of getting there, but getting there with the documentation that many people don't have. For example, I don't have my birth certificate, because it's been lost and a schlep to Washington, DC to get another is a major inconvenience. And I would have to, since 3 different attempts to get a replacement by mail have failed.
Maybe one way to help would be to set up clinics in neighborhoods and bring the camera, ID cards, and a slew of volunteers to help people get the ID. I don't know if there is a specific requirement that only a certain agency like DMV or clerks office could check verification and issue ID's, or if anyone who takes a class on what to check as far as proof could do it.
Obviously the right would have @!$%# fits but can anyone come up with a legal reason why this couldn't be tried in at least some states? If it is not allowed, maybe passing out a list of what all proof a person my need to get ID would save people a lot of frustration that would force them to not get the ID.
Anything that may help should be tried, so keep trying to think of other ways to allow people to get ID and get out to vote without all of the BS.
I had to replace my driver's license after it was suspended because my registration was suspended for non-payment of insurance - the lapse was due to an unforeseen circumstance beyond my control. I was told I would have to purchase a restricted use license in order to have a license at all while my registration suspension was in effect. This caused me considerable duress and interfered with my ability to get employment. I have since replaced my driver's license, however, I am aware that if your identification is lost or stolen it can be a hassle (not insurmountable) to get it replaced, especially if identity theft is involved. Our state offers the option of having a non-driver id that looks just like a driver's license and is as valid for purposes of identification. Everything (unfortunately) involves a payment to one or another government agency. That is the cost of living in a society governed by elected representatives that offers services to its citizens they would usually be unable to provide for themselves (such as libraries, schools, roads, parks, etc.). This is precisely why we vote. So, quit complaining, get your damn identification and vote already!!!
But that amounts to a poll tax, which is illegal. Can you not grasp this? Being forced to pay (in any way) to vote is illegal.
I live in Luzerne County.
They match my name and my signature every time I vote, so why exactly is ID necessary, again?
Oh, right...fraud. Like .002% worth of fraud.
As far as I know, there is no suit that's been filed challenging the law.
Right. Your signature is all the legal identification you need. It is good enough for any contract. Needing a picture so you can sign is silly. What about absentee ballots? How do you show a picture if you are out of town? Do they waive the requirement in that case?
Which is the whole point of these poll tax voter id laws.
right to vote cannot be denied "on account of sex."
District of Columbia have the right to vote in presidential elections. D.C. is
given 3 electoral votes.
citizens to pay a poll tax in order to vote in federal elections.
all racist voting practices in all states.
Americans the right to vote.
election materials to be made available for non-English speaking citizens.
Voting is a Constitutional Right, the argument that you need a photo ID to drive, board a plane, open a bank account etc., these are privileges not Constitutional Rights. The Board of Directors of the Republican Party (SCOTUS) made selling our government to the highest bidder legal; and just in case they are going to attempt to fix the election by these Voter Suppression Laws. I wonder what the going commission is on selling our government?
I don't know the total commission, but at least a part of it is $1.6M to the wife of one of them.
Given our changing demographics, the GOP now believes the only way to win the White House is to deny some of us our constitutional right to vote. My grandparents fought for the right of Black citizens in the Deep South to vote in the '50s. What's going on now in Penn. & other states is nothing but a 21st century version of "Jim Crow"laws. The media need to call this what it is. Our democracy is at stake!
I agree that this is a poll tax.
I would love to see Rachel go with a voter who doesn't currently have a picture ID navigate this law and follow someone to PennDOT to get an ID card.
Acceptable IDs cost money. They include a driver's license, passport, government ID, or current public or private PA college ID with a picture - despite the fact that PA issues voter registration cards with no picture; and Social Security cards have no picture.
A voter ID card from PennDOT costs $13.50 (although there seems to be contradictory language that it can be waived) and it must be done in person. To get the card, one must bring a social security card and an assortment of other proofs of citizenship and residency. I believe PennDOT only accepts checks and money orders.
I live in PA and my driver's license costs me $36 every 4 years or $9 per year. I have a passport that cost $110 for 10 years. Current college ID with a picture and date is acceptable. That costs on average $25,000 per year - only $16,000 if you live at home. Oddly, neither my voter registration card nor my PA Attorney Attorney's License would be acceptable: no picture.
So, how does one physically go to get a voter ID with a picture? Does it require taking some time off from work? Does it require bus fare, a taxi? Does it require a neighbor, friend, or relative to take some time off and pick her up and take her to PennDOT? Where is the closest location?
Can you tell I'm OUTRAGED?
Things may have changed, but about 20 years ago, I lost my driver's license in NJ because I forgot to renew my auto insurance on time and got caught. I was young and irresponsible and I learned from my mistake. At the hearing, the judge physically took my driver's license and didn't give it back to me, so I no longer had any identification.
I tried to get a non-driver ID from the NJ DMV. I was told that official IDs from the DMV were only available to people who could not drive because of handicaps or mental illness. Basically, by losing my right to drive, I also lost the right to identify myself, it seems.
Eventually, after asking around, someone told me that I could get a county ID, which I did. I can't remember for sure, but I believe that it cost $10. I also had to provide my own passport photo (also not free). The resulting ID was the most fake looking thing I've ever seen. It was quite a bit larger than a driver's license, and it was hand laminated.
To add insult to injury, whenever I tried to use it for identification, people didn't believe it was real. Nobody had ever heard of a "county ID" and the fact that it looked so home-made didn't help. It was even worse when I tried to use it to get into a bar or club outside of NJ. They always insisted on seeing a driver's license.
The Republican Party . . . Stealing Elections Since 2000.
They've been stealing elections a lot longer than that.