Elections chief announces 'simplified' voter ID process
The state's top elections official announced a plan to "simplify" the process of getting photo identification needed to cast ballots under Pennsylvania's new Voter ID law.
Elections chief announces 'simplified' voter ID process
UPDATE: This summer Temple University will begin issuing new student IDs with expiration dates to comply with the new Voter ID law. The unversity said it was re-issuing the IDs on its normal 5 to 7-year schedule so there was no additional cost ot add the expiration date.
The state's top elections official announced a plan to "simplify" the process of getting photo identification needed to cast ballots under Pennsylvania's new Voter ID law.
Secretary of State Carol Aichele said at a news conference on Wednesday that voters may use long-expired state driver's licenses or non-driver ID cards in order to obtain the new, free photo ID from PennDot.
Did you follow that? I know, neither did my editor.
Bottom line, voters without valid licenses still have to go to PennDot offices to get the new ID to vote. This could be a problem for elderly voters without means of transportation.
But Aichele said allowing people who no longer drive, particularly seniors, to use expired licenses means they don't have to produce social security cards and birth certificates, which are more difficult - and costly - to obtain. Her agency is working with nursing homes to ensure all of their residents have ID, she said.
Aichele said those with expired licenses don't even have to produce their ID at the PennDot office, because the agency will have you in their system, Aichele said. Unless of course, your license expired before the system was computerized in 1990.
Of course, that doesn't address people who never drove to begin with.
Another issue that has cropped up with the law was signed by Gov. Corbett in March involves the number of colleges and thousands of students who have IDs without expiration dates. The new law requires student IDs to have expiration dates.
For instance, the University of Pennsylvania has expiration dates on its IDs but Temple University and Penn State do not. (But PSU will issue cards with expiration dates to new students this fall and provide stickers for returning students' IDs.)
None of the state system schools have IDs with expiration dates and of Pennsylvani's 14 community colleges, seven issue IDs with expirations dates, includign Delaware County Community College, according to the Department of State.
Other schools with acceptable ID include: Penn; Drexel; Haverford; Lehigh; Rosemont; Pa. College of Art and Design; Moore College of Art; Bryn Athyn College; Elizabethtown College; Lackawanna College; Misericordia University; Pa. Institute of Technology (Media and Philadelphia); University of Pittsburgh; Carnegie Mellon; Susquehanna University; Chatham University; Carlow University; Point Park University; Manor College.
The state’s new voter-ID law requires all voters to show photo ID before voting in the Nov. 6 general election. There is no ID requirement to cast ballots in the Apr. 24 primary.
The ACLU and the NAACP are planning to file suit challenging the law by the end of this month.
Click herefor Philly.com's politics page.
There is one reason and one reason only to protest voter ID, and any law-abiding citizen with an IQ above 50 knows what that is. "Me thinkest thou does protest too much" certainly applies to those who are professing "passionate" concern for the elderly, disabled, minorities, etc. Suggestion: If, indeed, you are so concerned why not use all the time and energy you now use to protest the legislation and instead assist those who require assistance with obtaining ID?— Chantal
Not to be paranoid or nothin', but...Those least likely to have a driver's license are folks who are likely older and live in big cities, where you don't have to drive. These people are also more likely to vote Democratic. Are they being disproportionately affected? You could make that argument. And an entire state university system with no expiration dates on student ID in a state that requires that date to vote. Younger voters are also more likely to vote for Obama in the fall. Just sayin'...
phunnyphilly.wordpress.com— InNane- "Liberal dope," "loser," "dope," "librul," and "schmuck." Once you resort to name-calling, you've lost the argument.
Anything that makes voting more difficult is bad. We have no problem with election fraud. Even the folks in H-burg don't say there's fraud. They just want to "prevent fraud." Well, no. What they want to do is make sure that the probable Dems can't vote. So it's up to us to make sure that doesn't happen. Can we come up with some ideas?— nwrosman - If only mature, grown-ups were allowed to comment on these boards, it would be a better world.
You're right -- widespread voter fraud is a straw man argument. In Philly they have my signature on file and I have to sign in when I vote. This seems like a pretty good control measure. Why do I need photo ID on top of that?— InNane - Jimmyjames- answer my question. How many college students have never flown? 1% 5% 50%— justablogger
"Voter ID" laws were promoted by ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council). That in itself shows who laws are designed to benefit.— trebordet
Slavery and dependency on Government brought to you in part by...Liberals, Democrats and Unions.
Comment removed.- Well I guess they better start protecting their right to vote and get an ID shouldn't they!Freedom isn't free...carry your weight!
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- Need ID to cash a check, drive a car, buy cigarettes/alchohol, fly on a plane, etc...so why, all of the sudden are "minorities" affraid of having an ID? Sounds like another EXCUSE to abuse the system. PROTECT LEGITIMATE VOTERS AND SUPPORT VOTER ID!!!
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Here we go, water the great, and necessary, change down till the new rules go away! Get an ID people!
— Ben Fan- Comment removed.
- Justablogger - I guess that you just can't understand that there is a large percentage of college students scraping by - and haven't ever had to produce an ID to board a plane. You right-wingers kill me— SoundGround
- If each person that was worried about someone without ID, would just help one person get it, case closed. But this is just one side saying the other side is wrong. So easy to type, so hard to help.— tlee
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- Do those people who do not fly on an airplane ever, say, cash a check? Buy alcohol? Cigarettes?
You need ID to do all of those things.— jstanavgguy - Comment removed.
- The irony being to cash a check, drive a car, travel on an airline, etc... one needs and ID so why are "minorities" all of the sudden worried about securing ID's??? Liberals are so transparent and ignorant they just want to remain minorities forever and coast on everyone else's backs and taxpayer dollars.
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- So is owning a gun. However, i do not see the left rushing to ensure that that right is not infringed upon, or made more difficult to exercise. — jstanavgguy
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- Neither is Voting you dope. But don't let facts like the Electoral College or the fact that under the Constitition, the States are authorized to change their individual rules government elections. Infact, in the years FOLLOWING the Constitution only TAX PAYERS could legally vote. You're such a schmuk.
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- Amy - are you saying thousands of college students have never had to show their ID at the airport to board a plane? You libruls just won't stop making stuff up.— justablogger
- Clearly the Corbett Administration is worried that the vote-suppression law will backfire by preventing hundreds of thousands of elderly Republicans from voting.
So naturally they accept a form of ID that many elderly people may have but Latino and black citizens may not.
This makes it even clearer what the Corbett Administration's intent is -- suppress the minority vote in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
— tomB - Why should Latino and African American people have MORE of a problem? You need your medicine, again? — Ben Fan
- Tom- You're a typical liberal dope. Corbett and his Administration is interested in PROTECTING the law abiding citizens vote...not suppressing anyone elses vote (but you're too busy standing on your soapbox to realize that). Moreover Federal Appeals Court just upheld AZ Voter ID law and PA's is more liberal than AZ's so PA's will pass muster...no matter what the communist ACLU and NAACP may say.
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- You do realize that they have already spoken on Voter ID laws, right?
They spoke when they upheld the Indiana law. They spoke when they refused to even hear an appeal of the Georgia law.
And as for the DOJ?
First, they ONLY have oversight on a few states, as a result of section 5 of the VRA.
And you can expect Section 5 to be tossed by the SCOTUS as a violation of the equal protection clause.— jstanavgguy - Comment removed.
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- Give me a break, loser. It's not about "denial" its about PROTECTING THE LEGITMATE VOTE. Being a Citizen requires certain actions. Stop promoting people being victims their whole life and look at the big picture. All you want is these lazy irresponsible citizens to skate the system at the expense of legitimate citizen voters and their hard earned tax dollars...theif.
