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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

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 9:32 PM, 12/22/2011

How will a voter ID requirement hurt poor people and old people who want to vote? Our tax money pays for them anyhow, (whether you like it or not), so simply add $5 ID card to the list. It will not discourage voters. It will discourage fraud, hence the objection from Corrupt Philly Democrats.

— StevenG

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:56 PM, 12/22/2011

A $5 requirement is a poll tax and it's not lawful in the United States of America. We're not living in the Old Confederacy.

— RealKennyPowers

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:34 PM, 12/22/2011

I've said it many times, there is simply no reason not to have to show some form of picture ID to vote. Ridiculous that this is even an issue.

— Wiseman6

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:18 AM, 12/23/2011

Here's one very good reason, unwise: This is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The only thing the Constitution says is that any American from the age of 18 has the right to vote. Doesn't say ID required.

— mike l

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:39 PM, 12/22/2011

Langx: You are blinded by your partisan obsession. Go Indy. Wall Street controls both parties. Obama kept all the Bush cronies, who were Clinton Cronies, before they were Bush cronies. See Larry Summer. Gietner,etc. One big fat party, my friend. Also, you ignored the fact that the NYT did a vote count in Florida which showed Bush won the contested counties (good thing or bad depending on one's party loyalty, but a fact nonetheless). Also, you skipped the evidence of voter fraud in Philly with Mayor Street. Van loads of homeless people in vans supplied by Johnny Doc at 7:30 pm on voting night with instructions to "pull the lever." American politics are corrupt top to bottom , so stop fooling yourself with your idealism.

— StevenG

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:51 PM, 12/22/2011

The only recent comprehensive study on voter fraud was issued by the Brennan Center for Justice and it concludes with the support of overwhelming evidence that there is little if any voter fraud by voter impersonation and photo ID requirements would do virtually nothing to combat alleged fraud. A requirement for photo ID would keep millions of Americans out of the voting booth, thus denying them the fundamental right to vote, but it wouldn't stop any fraud. There are real Constitutional issues with a photo ID requirement in that it restricts a fundamental right, but it does not use the least restrictive means to do so. There are provisions already in place to protect against voter impersonation, including a signature requirement and requirements that permit judges of election to ask for other forms of documentary evidence to verify the identity.

— RealKennyPowers

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:12 PM, 12/22/2011

It is only "hogwash" for those who are not legally qualified to vote. otherwise, it is a wonderful idea. No doubt that the legislation would face an argument in a city so grossly entrenched with corruption...like Philly!

— kelprod2

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:23 AM, 12/23/2011

This isn't a Philly argument. The Brennan Center report was national and proved there is no such thing as massive, or even somewhat minimal voter fraud. So, your comment is hogwash. You want to talk about corruption, tell me how legitimate the new congressional redistricting, drawn up by the Republicans, is. Now that is truly voter fraud and they even have photo IDs.

— mike l

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:20 PM, 12/22/2011

its patently ridiculous to offer the opinion that requiring basic ID is burdensome. or racist, or problematic. Grownups are held to certain minimum standards and having identification is as bare minimum as one could get.

— zen

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:27 PM, 12/22/2011

For the life of me I don't understand what the opposition is to showing ID to vote ? we all are against fraud heck you need to show ID everytime you make a purchase with a credit card...or by a plane ticket..or pay a bill on line or by phone ...I thought singer was a good government democrat? very disappointed at her and she is suppose to ensure fair elections?...I just don't get it

— phillysmart

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:43 PM, 12/22/2011

In none of the statements defending voter ID have I heard one word about how it would counter any of the supposed instances of actual fraud that have occurred. Aside from most of them being pure conjecture and rumor, they all, even if totally true, involve massive conspiracies of election officials. Voter ID will accomplish one thing and one thing only, massive disenfranchisement of poor, elderly, and nonwhite voters. Honest Republicans have admitted that's what they want. It would be refreshing if some of the posters here did the same. Come on folks, you know you think you're being robbed blind by these folks. You don't want them to vote do you?

— Stan Shapiro

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:45 PM, 12/22/2011

it seems these old people and poor people can find an id to get all the free programs out there

— RichH

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:38 PM, 12/22/2011

If the purveyors of this legislation could actually produce evidence of a voter fraud due to voter impersonation and they could also prove that the fraud could be stopped by requiring photo ID, they might have a better argument than "why don't old people and really poor people have photo IDs?" Given the fact voter fraud doesn't really occur in this fashion you might as well enact laws to deal with the huge martian problem in the United States ---- another "problem" that does not exist.

— RealKennyPowers

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:23 AM, 12/23/2011

I have been a registered voter in Philadelphia for more than 11 years. Every time I have voted, they ask for my photo ID, I sign the book, they compare my signature, and I'm admitted to the booth. Am I the ONLY person that has had this experience? I even know the voting attendants. They are my neighbours, and they still ask for my photo ID.

— tjinphilly