PA Voter ID law upheld, for now

[John Adams]

Here are the arguments against:

 

(1) People can't get valid photo IDs

(2) People won't know about the law change until they show up to vote

(3) There is no evidence that anyone ever faked an identity to vote

 

To which I say, "wah." If you aren't informed enough to have heard about this law, and take actions to get the photo ID before the election, you don't deserve to vote!

 

The WSJ is a subscription site so here's an excerpt:

 

The original rationale in Pennsylvania's Republican-controlled Legislature for the law—to prevent election fraud—played little role in the case before Judge Simpson, since the state's lawyers acknowledged that they are "not aware of any incidents of in person voter fraud." Instead, they said lawmakers properly exercised their latitude to make election-related laws when they chose to require voters to show widely available forms of photo identification.

...

At issue is the requirement that all Pennsylvania voters produce a valid photo ID before their ballot can be counted, a substantial change from the law it was designed to replace. That law required identification only for people voting in a polling place for the first time, and it allowed nonphoto documents such as a utility bill or bank statement.

 

But some people who sued over the law say they will be unable to vote because they lack the necessary documents, including a birth certificate, to get a state photo ID, the most widely available of the IDs valid under the law.

 

The lawyers who provided free legal representation to the plaintiffs also said it will be difficult for many others to get a valid ID, and they presented testimony about workers at Department of Transportation license centers who appeared uninformed about the requirement to issue free nondrivers IDs for voting.

 

In addition, some voters won't know about the law until they get to the polls, and long waits will result while untrained election workers struggle to carry out a complicated and unnecessary law amid the traditionally larger turnout in presidential elections, they argued.

 

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444375104577591002474351134.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories

[WorldTraveller]

Not to mention that there is widespread support of the Voter ID law.

[IDBillzFan]

Not to mention that there is widespread support of the Voter ID law.

 

You must be referring to the WaPo poll that was flying around yesterday. That polls showed 60% of DEMS favor a Voter ID law. Yikes.

[B-Man]

Not a victory for the Governor and the GOP,

 

but a victory for ALL the legal voters in Pennsylvania.

 

.

[WorldTraveller]

Not a victory for the Governor and the GOP,

 

but a victory for ALL the legal voters in Pennsylvania.

 

.

 

Unless of course you are someone who agrees with it, but disagrees, but agrees with it on principle but doesn't agree because its unfair, but agrees, but disagrees with it because its not good for your party.

[John Adams]

Unless of course you are someone who agrees with it, but disagrees, but agrees with it on principle but doesn't agree because its unfair, but agrees, but disagrees with it because its not good for your party.

 

You're starting to get creepy. Just because you can't grasp that someone can support a candidate but still be critical of them doesn't mean you need obsess about it in completely unrelated threads.

Edited August 15, 2012 by John Adams

[WorldTraveller]

You're starting to get creepy. Just because you can't grasp that someone can support a candidate but still be critical of them doesn't mean you need obsess about it in completely unrelated threads.

 

I wasn't talking about you nitwit

[IDBillzFan]

You're starting to get creepy. Just because you can't grasp that someone can support a candidate but still be critical of them doesn't mean you need obsess about it in completely unrelated threads.

I know he's got you feeling a little uneasy, but I'm pretty sure he was referring to Big Cat and his all-over-the-map-but-not-really-but yes-not-what-you-think discussion of Voter ID laws.

[The Big Cat]

Not surprising that the right-wing nut jobs who obsessively hover over this place for constant validation had trouble grasping the complexities of life.

 

It's a ****ty law.

[IDBillzFan]

Not surprising that the right-wing nut jobs who obsessively hover over this place for constant validation had trouble grasping the complexities of life.

Not surprising that a far-left chucklehead who can barely complete a full sentence without contradicting himself has to convince people that the reason he's so wrong all the time is because no one is as smart as him.

[Joe Miner]

Not surprising that a far-left chucklehead who can barely complete a full sentence without contradicting himself has to convince people that the reason he's so wrong all the time is because no one is as smart as him.

 

Are you talking about Obama or Big Cat?

[The Big Cat]

Not surprising that a far-left chucklehead who can barely complete a full sentence without contradicting himself has to convince people that the reason he's so wrong all the time is because no one is as smart as him.

 

Well, to what end, dear friend?

 

I'm going to live my life thinking of you as an aggressive, hostile and close-minded person prefers insults over civility. Someone who can't be reasonable long enough to have a thoughtful conversation, and therefore must not be a thoughtful and/or intelligent person.

 

You've done nothing to persuade me otherwise, as I'm sure--given what I believe to be true about you--there's nothing I could say that would move this conversation...anywhere.

[John Adams]

I wasn't talking about you nitwit

 

Yeah, that was not clear from context. Regardless, since someone knew what you were talking about (god knows what you were referring to, but it was in another thread I guess), I apologize for being a narcissistic douche.

 

You're still creepy.

Edited August 15, 2012 by John Adams

[DC Tom]

Well, to what end, dear friend?

 

I'm going to live my life thinking of you as an aggressive, hostile and close-minded person prefers insults over civility. Someone who can't be reasonable long enough to have a thoughtful conversation, and therefore must not be a thoughtful and/or intelligent person.

 

You've done nothing to persuade me otherwise, as I'm sure--given what I believe to be true about you--there's nothing I could say that would move this conversation...anywhere.

 

If he's at all unintelligent, it was arguing about voter ID for some 20 pages with a guy who was effectively "for it before he was against it".

 

Yeah, that was not clear from context. Regardless, since someone knew what you were talking about (god knows what you were referring to, but it was in another thread I guess), I apologize for being a narcissistic douche.

 

You're still creepy.

 

You two need to change your avatars. I can't keep track of who's insulting who.

[BiggieScooby]

The good news is PA is picking up the $15 tab for those who can't afford it. While this is not an Old South "Poll Tax" it is a $15 ID many folks from the lower socio-economic totem pole can't afford.

 

http://www.seventy.org/Elections_Voter_ID_Issues_for_All_Voters_Voting_In_Person_at_the_Polls.aspx

[John Adams]

The good news is PA is picking up the $15 tab for those who can't afford it. While this is not an Old South "Poll Tax" it is a $15 ID many folks from the lower socio-economic totem pole can't afford.

 

http://www.seventy.o..._the_Polls.aspx

 

Charging someone to vote makes no sense, even when it's just $15.

 

If I see another sign about how this law is disenfranchising voters, I may go around the bend. I had someone come to my door a few weeks ago and tell me that if my voter reg card had a middle initial and my license did not, the new law would not allow me to vote. I laughed and told him he was nuts. Then he asked for an Obama donation.

Edited August 16, 2012 by John Adams

[DC Tom]

Charging someone to vote makes no sense, even when it's just $15.

 

You'd make people choose between voting and an extra 2GB on their smartphone data plan? My God, man, they might have to walk to the polling place in Adidas rather than Nikes...that's just cruel and inhumane.

[Rob's House]

Charging someone to vote makes no sense, even when it's just $15.

 

If I see another sign about how this law is disenfranchising voters, I may go around the bend. I had someone come to my door a few weeks ago and tell me that if my voter reg card had a middle initial and my license did not, the new law would not allow me to vote. I laughed and told him he was nuts. Then he asked for an Obama donation.

Yeah, except you're not charging anyone to vote. You're not clever for twisting it that way either. Any of the lefty stooges could (and have) come up with that one. It's incidental which is a material difference.

[John Adams]

Yeah, except you're not charging anyone to vote. You're not clever for twisting it that way either. Any of the lefty stooges could (and have) come up with that one. It's incidental which is a material difference.

 

If you want a photo ID, which is the only thing you need to vote...and it is required by law...it still costs $13.50.

 

Tell, me. If I want to vote, how much does it cost? Gas is incidental because it is not required to vote. But if I don't have the ID, I am forbidden to vote. ID DNE incidental. ID is required by law. And the minimum I can get the ID for is $13.50. Therefore, minimum cost to vote: $13.50.

 

Now, in a move bound to baffle the best of minds, the fee is waived if you sign an oath that says, more or less, "I have no form of ID in my entire life to prove I'm me." Which makes no sense. So if I have no ID...I can get a photo ID (with anyone's name I guess) for nothing. WTF? Here's the form you sign to waive the fee:

 

http://www.dmv.state...NoProofofID.pdf

Edited August 16, 2012 by John Adams

[dayman]

One election official was on Eliot Spitzer saying he won't enforce it b/c it was passed too close the election and is thus unfair. Expect law suits if this election is really close. But that goes w/ out saying.

Edited August 16, 2012 by TheNewBills