Pennsylvania's controversial, legally-dubious voter-ID scheme has suffered through some unpleasant headlines lately, but the problems are not going away.
For example, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, who signed the voter-suppression measure into law, fielded a reporter's question on the subject yesterday, and couldn't remember the forms of ID he's requiring his constituents to have.
Meanwhile, Daniel Denvir published this piece yesterday on just how serious a problem the new law may pose in Pennsylvania's largest city.
The number of Pennsylvanians who might not have the photo identification necessary to vote this November has more than doubled: at least 1,636,168 registered voters, or 20 percent of Pennsylvania voters, may not have valid PennDOT-issued ID, according to new data obtained by City Paper. In Philadelphia, an enormous 437,237 people, or 43 percent of city voters, may not possess the valid PennDOT ID necessary to vote under the state's controversial new law. [...]
The new data, received and processed by the AFL-CIO, for the first time includes voters who had PennDOT licenses that have (as of Monday) been expired since Nov. 6, 2011 or an earlier date. If those people do not renew their licenses, the licenses will be expired by at least one year on election day and thus invalid under the new law.
Meanwhile, Meteor Blades has a good report on the ongoing court proceedings of the case challenging the legality of the state law.
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Love that last line! I think there is a political ad there.
Here's another article from Philly.com http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/state/20120726_Hearing_begins_in_Harrisburg_on_new_voter-ID_law.html
So already they can require "less" to prove your are who you are to let you vote! So let's review, the folks who do not have driver's licenses have to transport themselves (obviously without the aid of a car) to the nearest Motor Vehicles Bureau and wait in line to get a free i.d. - except for those you get charged $30 like my friend's Mother did.
I recently had to renew my license. I sent in the paperwork and got the notice "take this to the photo license place" which I left work early and rushed over so I could get in the door before closing only to find out that the computers were off line and I had to come back. So, I came back and when I handed the card to the woman I told her that the name of my street was misspelled and gave her the correct spelling. She said "I can't change that. You have to send in a change of address form." I'm not "changing" my address. It is misspelled. Well, I can't change it. So I got my license with essentially the wrong street name on it and said to myself "It will have to do." Then a couple days later I realized that I cannot VOTE with that license! See how simple it is to deprive someone from voting with this law. A simple misspelling or typo.
SOOOO I sent an email to PennDOT telling them they made an error and I will not be able to VOTE. Told them to make the correction which was NOT a change of address. Got a response from them that they were sending me a "card" showing my "change" of address AND that they had notified Voters Registration of the "CHANGE" !!! HELLO! Nothing was changed but their error. NOW they are telling the Voters Registration folks that I changed my address. I sent an email back demanding that they NOT notify anybody that I had Changed my address as I had not changed my address but they had corrected their misspelling! They responded that they realized it was a typo but they notified voters registration (who never had a misspelling on the record) of their correction.
I swear I'll be the next lawsuit if I am denied the right to vote! I have saved all the back and forth email and plan to print and carry them with me.
The result of all this non"changing" of my address is that I have to carry the license with the misspelling AND a card with the correct "non" changed address. And this somehow proves I am who I have always been when I voted the last 40 years!
I have the required I.D. Imagine a woman who has no license who has been married, divorced and remarried! Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Marriage certificates please? But there is no inconvenience here. Really?
Hopefully, at the very least the law will be postponed to give voters a longer time to get documents and for the state to get their sh*t together.
Gov. JustCloseYourEyesCorbett is too busy pandering to the gas drilling lobby that is poisoning the ground water to be bothered with a little thing like the (supposedly) Constitutionally protect RIGHT to vote.
What a powerful testimony, Ma'am. I'm copying this comment and carrying it in my PDA. What better evidence could one ask for? Because it's so entirely believable — it's such an all-too-familiar form of misery.
Fight on, my sister. This is, after all, what it takes to get our country back. It's like pulling teeth.
It's simply unfathomable how Republicans have been allowed and emboldened to tear down the country in every way imaginable. I'm too overwhelmed and worn out for words and I guess that's really all part of the plan by our banana republic masters.
Yeah, IT happened HERE! And nobody even knew it.
From the KOS article linked to above,
Why is that? The Supreme court decided in two cases that the burdens were not sufficiently large to outweigh the benefit of protecting against fraud. Only the minority opinion accepted the absence of fraud argument. Worse, Scalia's view is that the Right to Vote is not something that SCOTUS should involve itself with unless a high threshold of abuse is proven. In his concurring opinion for Crawford v. Marion County Election Board:
So if you can buy a state legislature, you can buy elections- just so it doesn't stink too much.
There are two lines of attack on the bill. The first line is that the law was enacted for unconstitutional purposes under the State Constitution based on the Turzai statement. The second line of attack is the racial impact which may or may not qualify under Pennsylvania law, but most certainly under federal law. Generally, state courts are reluctant to overturn laws by the state legislature if they can find a way that is constitutional. But that does not mean the courts will bend over backwards to this odious law, particularly because of Turzai's statement. The local federal court may be the best avenue under the Voting Rights Act with the admission that there are no cases of voter fraud by the state. When the impact is measured against the purported purpose of the law and Turzai's statement, it is very easy for a judge to enjoin enforcement temporarily and permanently. That would force the state to go back to the drawing board and draft a law that does not impact minorities in such large numbers.
Dear GOTP,
In case no one told you, when you tell a lie you must:
1) remember the lie that you told
2) think of a response in case you're questioned about the initial lie.
3) remember why you told the lie in the first place!
4) remember rule #1!
Maybe it's just me, but the GOTP have become funnier than: I Love Lucy, The Three Stooges, Albert & Costello - only it's not haha funny.... :>(
He forgot his prepared line: "What's important is to remember that we're combating in-person voter fraud... which hasn't happened ever in the state, which just goes to show that it's retroactively working!"
Perhaps Gov. JustCloseYourEyes has been drinking the fracking ground water!
It is amazing that in the world of GOP that you cease to legally be who you were yesterday when your driver's license expired. I am waiting for the banks to catch on to deny access to your money.
Or the DMV misspells your name, your street, city, state, gets the zip wrong or transposes the house number BAM! You've been disappeared.
Here's an even better one. The DMV has my gender wrong on my license. I wonder what kind of a stir THAT would cause! :)
Luckily, I live in a state where the voter laws aren't being changed, so I haven't had my license corrected just for the novelty of it.
Poor Corbett, so many scandals, so little time....the feds are coming after him for criminally suppressing the vote, the lawyers are coming after him for covering up the Sandusky scandal while he was AG, the cities and towns of Pa. are coming after him for enacting unconstitutional fracking laws (he lost that case today) and on top of it all, he is the dumbest Governor Pennsylvania has ever had. Just goes to show the contempt the Republicans have for democracy, it used to be the best and brightest went into government, now its the dumbest and dullest.
Forgive him because he obviously knows not what he did
Good Grief
Why can't people just use absentee voting as a way around having to show an ID at a polling station? I've absentee voted for many years; it's easy and convenient.
You might be able to get away with it if you've already voted by absentee. But, if you haven't voted by absentee yet, you have to prove yourself by photocopying all the necessary forms of ID and send that info in with your request for a ballot. I had to look that up, but can't remember the exact details if _you've already voted that way already._
I live in Arizona - in 1995 i got a 20 year driver's license and I think I paid around $30 - I replaced it in 2004. This year, I received a notice from the DMV that my photo needs to be updated with a $10 fee. If I fail to update it, my license will become invalid. Arizona recently passed a voter ID law. I am Native American and they likely think I am a Democrat too I suppose. So, I already had a valid driver's license - now the State wants me to update my already valid driver's license for a fee... if I don't then it will be invalidated and I will need it in order to vote... all because my PHOTO needs to be updated...
it is kind of odd that you can absentee ballot with no picture proof at all.
It's interesting to me that any suggestion of requiring a photo ID for the purchase of a firearm enrages the GOP who argue any restriction to a fundamental right is illegal, despite the evidence of related crime. Yet the GOP has no issue with demanding such infringement to the fundamental right to vote, despite the complete lack of evidence of any related crime - seems like their second amendment argument could be used against them and I love it when hypocrisy is hoisted on it's own petard.
Why don't Republicans make it easier on themselves and simply purge everyone not registered as a Republican from the voter lists? That would at least be more honest.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who operates Florida's gun permit program: "There continues to be an extraordinarily small number of concealed weapons license holders who break the law. They are overwhelmingly law abiding citizens."
No problems with weapons! But boy have WE problems with voter fraud!!
MeddlingMonk I wondered the same thing.
Then came to the conclusion that in order to "appear" "fair and balanced" they will simply "purge" the ones they couldn't ban using their GOP supporting manufacturer of the electronic voting machines to do that job for them.
It's already a part of the congressional record that a programmer for those machines admitted to installing a "backdoor program" that can switch the votes any way they want.
Check it out - the utube videos are out there of his testimony before a congessional committee - and nobody is paying attention to that!
am i the only one who wonders why rachel is missing so much work? no offense Ezra, your doing the best a non rachel host can do, but i think rachel is just not the same without its namesake. she could be really ill, or taking vacation days, but they don't tell ya and I'm concerned about her, call me crazy, but her show isn't the same without her. ed said he was taking time because his wife is sick. is there something going on w your partner? i guess I'm nosy, i just thought i would say what everyone has to be thinking "wheres rachel?' I'm as concerned as i am nosy. Is there contract @!$%# going on? All i can figure is your taking your time off before the election begins in earnest. its hard to explain exactly what it is about the way you deliver perhaps the very same words, its just not nearly as intriguing as the way only maddow can do . There's no one in your league, your professional and funny. i really hope nothing wrong, i watch u every night and i tape u as well in case i miss something,or your especially, you. I'm not a creep, only a devoted fan, you pulled me into politics w your show. this year I'm going to vote for the 1st time at age 37. so i just wanted to say to rachel, where ever you are, come back soon, its just not the same , you're a one of a kind fact debunker, always after, and reminder to a party that are always spouting something you can deflate by just stating the facts, and no one seems as made for telling peo ple their entire belief system is wrong, whatever. i miss maddow on maddow. please do all of us a favor, comeback and stick around...i filled out a survey about you, could almost not remember.The thought crossed my mind that they might be replacing you or your show. The whole lineup, works up to you. your the main event, the 8central spot is where the talent goes. if they did, i would quit msnbc, and drop it like a hot potato Anyway, your missed badly, by another liberal in red, red , red Kansas. my door obama, equalitystickeer, 99 percent, and corporatations arn't people. A little canidate for state house of rep, and hes a progressive democrat, guess he saw my door and thought, shelter from the storm. We ended up having aconversation that was so refreshing, and if im not mistaken, its the local level that decides stuff like abortion being attacked, and equality for all,which as long as we got the same old folks,doing the same old, or even older going backwards. rhis prog dem guy had character and understnding about expanding rights , not restricting them that only comes from 1st hand experience. so he been here and talked to my husband and i, its not the old west here, but the simple principles he imbodies would be postive voice in the house of rep for the state. all goverment is local someone said. So now i have his sign in my yard, and ive gotan absentee ballot for the dem primary. and this guy is going to get the first fote i ever cast, i guess. But i believe integrity is alive and well in this young man. sense you got me to vote, thought u might want to know. whereever you are, come back! your fill in hosts are like brocolli, and your like steak, once wweve had steak, the brocoli isnt even a continder. forgive my long windedness. the way you guys handle it people are forced to guess. my old man says its just vacation. if theres a health problem, we have a right to know. will you be here on friday or Ezra, bless his tryung and does your news without a bitof drawing in the viewere. im ending this now. liberal in kansas,ld
Maybe she's just getting in the vacation time while she can. She probably won't get any time off even for her own funeral once we get to the national conventions and beyond.
You don't have to worry about her contract. Assuming my memory is working, it was renewed and extended last year.
So happy you are going to vote Lori, participation is needed.
The question crossed my mind as well. I thought about how much work is coming to this next few months. I think Monk is correct. Vacation-hopefully Maddow is relaxing and having a nice cocktail in a peaceful quiet location detached from the madness.
Knowing how she puts so much into this show, she will need to come in rested up for the long haul that's coming. Same with Bashir? but we now know what's up with the Ed Show.
But I like Ezra and MHP, but do look forward to my fave-Maddow. I like her style, been listening since the radio days, she and Kent cracked me up-that laugh while Kent was doing his schtick.
A Savannah Georgia TV newscast the other day that stressed the difficulties people are having getting their drivers licenses renewed. Of course, the issue is really the new voter ID laws, since it's the drivers license that will be the form of ID for most people. A woman had been to the DMV three times and still cant get it renewed. She was born in the UK, but has been a citizen for 40 years. She had her expired passport, with photo, her expiring license, her original birth certificate from the UK, a letter from a judge stating he had known her for years.
Here are the new requirements: "When you apply, you must bring your original or certified copy of your birth certificate. An unexpired passport will be accepted in the place of a birth certificate. You must also bring proof of your social security number and two documents to prove your residential address."
And if your name has changed? And what proves your address? If you have no bills sent there?
A friend changed her legal name years ago, dropping her middle name and changing the spelling of her first name.; it took her years to get her license.
That's disgusting to have such road blocks to legitimate citizens having to go 3 times to get documentation validated and renewed to vote (not to mention the high possibility of driving or flying being so very necessary).
Good question. I use a P.O. Box on my DL because I had my wallet stolen, along with check book, house keys and phone, etc. I didn't wan't that to happen again, so use P O Box for everything. If I had to show my I.D. to vote, would I be told, you can't use that to vote?