Commonwealth Court schedules more hearings on Voter ID
Judge Robert Simpson must decide whether the state is doing enough to get photo ID cards to registered voters who need them.
Commonwealth Court schedules more hearings on Voter ID
BOB WARNER
Commonwealth Court Judge Robert E. Simpson Jr. has scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday, Sept. 25, in Harrisburg, to deal with the state’s implementation of the new voter-ID law and ultimately decide whether the law will stay in place for the November election.
The state Supreme Court sent the case back to Simpson this week, ordering him to evaluate the state’s efforts to provide photo ID cards to registered voters who need them and issue an opinion by October 2 on whether the state is providing the "liberal access" to ID cards that the legislature intended.
The Supreme Court said that Commonwealth Court was obligated to issue a preliminary injunction to block the law if it is not "convinced in its predictive judgment that there will be no voter disenfranchisement" from the new law.
It requires every voter to provide a specified form of photo ID - most commonly, a Pennsylvania driver’s license - in order to cast a vote on voting machines. Those without the necessary ID would be allowed to cast provisional ballots, which would be counted if the voters can show appropriate ID to their county election officials within the following six days.
Simpson plans to hear from parties in the case at 10 a.m. next Tuesday and continue the proceedings Thursday, if necessary, according to one participant. There will be no court session on Wednesday because of Yom Kippur.
If you do the math, there is no way that PennDOT would be able to even provide the extremely low-balling guesstimate by the Corbett Administration of 1% of legal voters between now and the election.— Blanketman- The question is, who defines disenfranchisement? The Supreme Court didn't define it. Given Simpson's previous opinion, which accepted every Republican argument as gospel, I think the only way voters are "disenfranchised" is if the state puts up 10 foot razor wire around the DMV. Even that might not count. Simpson was not impressed at all by the previous testimony from 90-year-old ladies who had to ride buses 3 hours and stand in line for half a day to get an ID so they would not lose their right to vote -- and then still were denied IDs because of bureaucratic paperwork hassles. That, apparently, is not disenfranchisement. That is democracy, Republican-style.— tomB
- Simpson is a smack-as Republican. What do you expect?— bronski
- Simpson is a smack-as Republican. What do you expect?— bronski
- Read the Sup. Ct opinion for "clarification"
1. No power civil or military shall impede with the RIGHT to vote.
2. 100% along party lines - civil power dictates a photo ID is required to exercise said right.
3. Agency responsible for providing necessary ID points out that due to Homeland Security and resources they are unable to provide ID's are civil power envisioned,
4. Civil Power less than 3 months before general election creates further confusion by changing definition of what defines voter photo ID and what documentation is required to obtain such.
4. Sup. Ct. returns matter to Republican judge that already found no legal or ethical issues with the law.
5. Refer to 1.
Everyone with a valid ID who does not agree with the law should forget the ID and cast Provisional Ballots. Make the County Election Boards deal with millions of votes.
— noontime 
Comment removed.- this is utterly ridiculous...all this bs over having to show an ID to vote? it is elementary basic why would anyone on either side be against it ?— phillysmart
- just curious how one gets into any federal, or state or county building, applies for a job, gets to visit a friend in a hospital in phila, opens a bank account, and ever travels. I guess they don't .— Lil Bobby
- @Lil Bobby, let me explain each of the points you have inquired about to you:
1. You do not need to show an ID to go into any of these buildings. You just go through security. Do you think the millions of tourists visiting Washington DC show IDs to go into the buildings they visit? LOL
2. The retired elderly aren't likely to be applying for jobs.
3. I've never had to show an ID to visit a friend the hospital. Must by a Philly thing.
4. I opened a bank account online a few months ago. No ID required.
5. The elderly and poor are probably not jet-setting around the globe (or even taking a train, for that matter)
— NOYDBS - Yeah De omnibus dubitandum, hands enough to grab those welfare checks, food stamps, etc. When I hear "disenfranchisement" I want to hurl. The problem is not keeping people from voting but keeping dead people from voting or illegals. Come on this is common sense
— mijou6 - My wife doesn't have a valid ID, yet, with which to vote. She has no need for one, currently, other than for the purpose of voting. She is not happy about having to waste time in a PennDOT office for this purpose, and neither and I, and anyone who voted to require that she needs to do this will never ever receive a vote from either one of us for any office now or in the future. Because that's how we treat people who mess with the vote.— ICDogg
- this judge is a bigot just like the republiccans who started this mess in the first place. they have to cheat to win. they don't have enough class and sense to win fairly. remember bush.— etbarksdale
- The only reason they kicked it back to him was to avoid the spectacle of having the Court find for the law along party lines and the loss of credibility that would follow. They told him exactly what to write in his opinion. Notice how the article doesn't even mention his political affiliation.— MrSmith
- voter ID = pretext (voter suppression). a solution in search of a problem.— fillyfan
- Mike Vereb supported the Voter Id government regulation. Vote him out of office. Elect Kelly Devine!— MikeP
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