Heard in the Hall

Top Philly elections official says voter ID bill is 'hogwash'

Incoming Philly elections official opposes voter ID bill

78 comments

Top Philly elections official says voter ID bill is 'hogwash'

POSTED: Thursday, December 22, 2011, 5:47 PM

Miriam Hill

Don't look for incoming City Commissioner Stephanie Singer to back away from controversy.

On Thursday, she called the voter ID bill being considered in Harrisburg "hogwash from top to bottom." Actually, she first called it that on Tuesday when she called in to WHYY's Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. The show's guest was Carol Aichele, the Republican Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who backs the bill.

Singer, who as City Commissioner will oversee Philadelphia's elections, said poll workers already verify voters' signatures. Requiring ID, she added, would only cause many people not to vote.

Aichele countered that many poll workers are not trained to analyze handwriting.

Singer is a Democrat. We wondered what Al Schmidt, her Republican counterpart on the incoming City Commission would think, but we have not heard back from him yet.

Heard in the Hall is simply happy to hear any politician use the word hogwash. It's down right folksy for someone with a Yale degree.

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.

78 comments

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Comments (78)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:30 PM, 12/22/2011

welcome back ACORN ACTIVIST

— goodsax

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:40 PM, 12/22/2011

It is very hard to take the GOP's claim as the caretakers of our democracy seriously after their gerrymandering of our congressional map. Very hard.

— bobcitydoc

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:55 PM, 12/22/2011

The city requires anyone attending a zoning hearing to show ID and have their picture taken to get into the building. Why can't voters show ID to vote?

— anti-tax

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:57 PM, 12/22/2011

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM--AFRAID YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO WIN AN HONEST ELECTION?

— crystalrainbowspirit1

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:01 PM, 12/22/2011

S Shapiro ---anyone with a brain doesn't buy your thinking. It's not expensive to get state ID non driver's license. I know--my son had one for years before he drove---think it cost 20.00.

— crystalrainbowspirit1

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0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:57 PM, 12/22/2011

Strange people have a problem trying to get an ID when it comes to voting but they have no problem getting that access card, Medicare card, state issued insurance card. Will people ever get real over this issue? The political machines can spend money to drive/escort people to the polls with no problem why can't they get them to the proper agencies to get a real ID?

— TomM