Posted on 05/12/2014 4:45:29 AM PDT by Cricket24
Two years after signing a dreadful law that was designed to suppress voting by some of the state's most vulnerable citizens, Gov. Tom Corbett has accepted Judge Bernard McGinley's sound judgment that the Voter ID law is unconstitutional and illegal.
Mr. Corbett announced Wednesday that he will not appeal the decision. Nor will he and the legislative architects of the blindly partisan law try to resurrect it for the November election.
Pennsylvania's Voter ID law was part of a wave of such legislation in Republican-majority state legislatures. Some of those laws met constitutional muster. The Department of Justice signed off on Virginia's law after a required review under the Voting Rights Act, for example, because the government there ensured that every voter received the needed identification.
In Pennsylvania, even before testimony in court, Republican advocates inadvertently revealed the nefarious purpose of the statute. Rep. Mike Turzai, House Republican majority leader, told the Republican State Committee in 2012 that it would help ensure GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's victory in Pennsylvania. The law was a purely partisan exercise meant to suppress votes of older, young and minority voters who tend to vote Democratic and are most likely not to have the limited types of identification prescribed by the law.
As testimony in the court case demonstrated how tens of thousands of voters could be disenfranchised, and that the purported need to curb voter fraud was a non-existent problem, the administration back-pedaled.
Now, with the law itself identified by a toe tag, lawmakers should turn to true reform that can expand access to voting while ensuring the continuing integrity of the system.
The state should move to universal online registration. That not only would make it easier for people to become voters, but would eliminate duplicate registrations. When people move from one county to another and register to vote, their names temporarily are carried in both counties. That's not fraud; there's no evidence of people actually voting in multiple counties. But clean voter rolls are desirable and easy to achieve.
Pennsylvania also should adopt other reforms to make it easier to vote, rather than conjuring up new restrictions. Those should include same-day registration rather than closing registration a month ahead of the election.
Many other states use many techniques to make voting convenient. Pennsylvania, the cradle of American democracy, should start playing catch-up.
Until the ACA homepage is functional, there should be no more discussion period....
People who cannot get photo IDs are expected to register to vote on line? Someone will have to explain that one to me.
“Convenient” is commie lib lingo for voter fraud. Maybe the states should just hire union thugs to take ballots around to the homes of the freeloading lardasses who are too lazy to go to the polls to vote.
There’s convenient and then there’s out right open for fraud.
Tell me about it...
And with a lunatic rogue AG who does as she damn well pleases.
I think Corbett WANTS to lose the election.
Unless the PA GOP knows something we don’t and their internal numbers are through the roof, he’s doing all he can to hand us over to the dimocrats...
We had enough of them under Rendell. They f***ed my state up handily.
“...I will not be complicit and vote for either....”
The get ready for Democrat-style gun control ala New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, etc., because with this lunatic rogue Attorney General we have in PA, that’s what Wolfie, psycho Schwarz, or that other bonehead McCord will try to pull off, first thing.
Corbett pisses me off too - but he has NOT been an “Activist” governor like Rendell was. So I don’t have a lot of beef with him. My major complaint is that he didn’t stomp on this activist AG with both feet.
Rep Darly Metcalf is taking her to task, but Corbett should be right there with him, and he is absent.
“..Pennsylvania also should adopt other reforms to make it easier to vote, rather than conjuring up new restrictions. ...”
I have to show ID for EVERYTHING. Voting should be no different.
The PEOPLE of this state were for it, over 70%. One judge says “no”, so it’s thrown out?
Gee.... wonder what his party affiliation is...
My guess is that both he and Rand Paul are scared that voter ID laws, when opposed and vilified by Dems as with 2012, just increase the turnout of those who will only vote Dem.
Romney, Rove and Rush all underestimated what 2012 Dem turnout would be, while Dems went door to door in swing states saying :"Don't let Republicans take away your vote"
In the case of this year low Dem turnout is expected anyway.
I agree 100%. In Maryland, they have early voting starting about a month before election day. Lot’s happens in the actual runup.
You should have to provide a reason for absentee and cancel this early voting stuff. Make people actually think about their vote.
And provide a photo ID.
“...My guess is that both he and Rand Paul are scared that voter ID laws, when opposed and vilified by Dems ...”
The proper and PUBLIC answer, in front of microphones, cameras, etc., is this:
“Vote fraud happens because people have been documented in numerous states voting multiple times. That is illegal, and it steals YOUR vote away from you.
You have to show ID for everything else - cashing a check, getting your prescriptions, paying bills. Why is voting - the most important civic function you have, where you are electing people to represent you - any different?
And now, one single judge has cancelled a a law passed by 70% public approval and basically ensured that your vote will NOT count, and will be cancelled out by someone voting two, three of four times because there is NO method of proving someone really is who they say they are - or of proving that that they didn’t already vote.”
Were I in a position within the GOP, I would be HAMMERING this daily.
A photo ID card -like your driver’s license - could be scanned in at the election booth, and thereby prove you voted - one and done. Not WHO you voted for, but just that you voted.
Failing that, a purple finger works too.
“...I am always ready for an activist progressive Democrat in office...”
I’m not.
Corbett may deserve to lose, but the People of PA don’t deserve to be subjected to democrat control again, NOR do they deserve to have their votes negated by Philadelphia or Pittsburgh democrat machine election fraud.
“...The country and its underlying culture is where my loyalty lies...”
My loyalty as well. But LOSING a state doesn’t get us there any faster.
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