State Supreme Court puts Voter ID appeal on fast track
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the sponsor of the state's controversial Voter ID law, offered to WHYY's Fresh Air program last week the story of a fellow Republican from the state House as proof that in-person voter fraud occurs. But now Metcalfe's colleague, state Rep. Bernie O'Neill of Warminster in Bucks County, says the comments he made on the House floor during a debate about the legislation last summer were not accurate.
State Supreme Court puts Voter ID appeal on fast track
Chris Brennan
Update, 4:50 pm: The Supreme Court today agreed to a request from the attorneys challenging the Voter ID law for an expedited hearing on the appeal of the Commonwealth Court ruling. The justices will hear arguments about the case in their courtroom in Philadelphia's City Hall on Sept. 13. Attorneys for the state earlier this week suggested the case be heard in mid-October.
From earlier: State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the sponsor of the state's controversial Voter ID law, offered to WHYY's Fresh Air program last week the story of a fellow Republican from the state House as proof that in-person voter fraud occurs. But now Metcalfe's colleague, state Rep. Bernie O'Neill of Warminster in Bucks County, says the comments he made on the House floor during a debate about the legislation last summer were not accurate.
O'Neill, speaking on the House floor on June 23, 2011, said that he showed up to vote at his polling place during an election and found that somebody had already signed in as him and voted. That seemed odd since O'Neill also said he was chairman of the Board of Supervisors in Warminster at the time "where everybody knew me" and he had voted at that polling place "forever." He even recalled being greeted by name by election workers when he walked in.
Based on the time-line O'Neill laid out, it appeared he was talking about the 2002 Republican primary election for the newly created 29th legislative district. O'Neill, who won that election, today said he was really talking about an election in the early 1990s. And it doesn't sound like the clear-cut case of voter fraud Metcalfe made it out to be on WHYY.
"I ended up being able to vote," O'Neill said, explaining that election workers called Bucks County officials to clear up the confusion. "Somehow, they figured out it was human error."
O'Neill twice said Metcalfe, who represents a district north of Pittsburgh, "shouldn't be hanging his hat on me" to defend the Voter ID law.
In fact, O'Neill said he voted with some apprehension for the Voter ID bill on the day that he spoke from the floor. He wanted it to grow into more comprehensive legislation that also looked at voter registration and absentee ballots. O'Neill said the legislation should start in 2013 to avoid the perception that it was designed to influence the 2012 presidential election. And he thought the law should be less restrictive on what types of identification could be used to vote.
O'Neill said he had be reluctant to speak about the issue on the floor but GOP colleagues "kept hammering on me" after he told them about his trouble voting in one election. He plans to correct the record when the House reconvenes. You can read his floor remarks here (they start on page 45.)
The state Supreme Court is now handling an appeal to the ruling last week by a state Commonwealth Court judge, rejecting a request for a preliminary injunction to keep the Voter ID law from being implemented for the Nov. 6 general election. Attorneys for the Pennsylvania Department of State, while defending the law, stipulated that they were offering no proof of in-person voter fraud.
You people really need to let this Voter ID thing go. It's a law now. Go get your ID and stop complaining.— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver
Comment removed.- Sharky - Shut it. Why are you so affraid to protect legitimate PA voters from the criminal behavior like those arrest in both Chicago and now Kentucky? Typical Democrats more interested in themselves then others.
— Professor1982 - Comment removed.
- @sharky: I'm actually a registered Independent. This is a law now, and does not infringe on one's right to vote. I don't see the problem with showing ID. And "why not implement it earlier"? This was passed in March. There's absolutely no excuse to not have an ID 7 months later.
— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver - Only Lou Diamond Phillips would say something stupid like this.
SHOWING ID is EASY.
GETTING an ID IF YOU DONT HAVE ONE IS BEING MADE DIFFICULT BY THE GOP AND THE JERKS WHO ARE TRYING TO GET MITT ROMNEY ELECTED THE ONLY WAY THEY KNOW HOW. BY STEALING
(In caps for screaming at idiot purposes)— OurCity2000 - I am glad you can paste links on the website, however, will millions upon millions of illegal immigrants + conviced officials in both Chicago and Kentucky, Voter ID laws are a necessary evil. Moreover, I would agree not ALL people should be allowed to vote...infact there's some people that should just be deported. — Professor1982
- +1 Best comment ever. — jonline
- Comment removed.
- Sharky, why bring up race? Is race the only thing on your mind? Sounds like a racist to me.....
BTW, didnt the ACLUs led plaintiff get her ID in less than 15 minutes??? Just sayin'...— Professor1982 - Comment removed.
- So how exactly does this bill prohibit people who have had over 6 months to get a free gov't issue id...hmmmm — camtheman
- Corbett will have all machines with an ability to snap a photo, removed from all state owned buildings.— beegal99
- Republicans are trying to steal the election 'fair and square' - just like they did in Florida in 2000. If a Democrat tried to do that - they'd be shooting up court houses with their 'legal' machine guns. Disgusting— SoundGround
- A lying conservative, who, I'll bet, also calls himself a "christian". Shocking, just shocking, I say.— CiceroSpuriousDeodatus
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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