Voter Photo ID
"The state of Pennsylvania's ability to get every would-be voter a government-issued photo ID by Election Day will literally be on trial Tuesday."
"Pennsylvania's highest court on Tuesday told a lower court judge to stop a tough new law requiring voters to show photo identification from taking effect in this year's presidential election if he finds voters cannot easily get ID cards or if he thinks they will be disenfranchised."
“Pennsylvania's state Supreme Court justices on Thursday aggressively questioned whether a politically charged law requiring photo identification from all voters should take effect for the Nov. 6 presidential election and whether it guarantees the right to vote.”
“The sixth time was the charm. ... Eugene Sim, 62, a recently homeless man who tried in vain five times to obtain an Indiana identification card, finally succeeded on his last visit.”
“Cynthia Houston, 84, had a flash of grumpiness when she went to vote yesterday in Boscawen: Her husband reminded her that she was supposed to bring a photo ID after they'd already gotten in line in the basement of the Congregational church.”
“On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments about the state’s strict new photo ID law, which is allegedly intended to prevent voter fraud. ... The law will result in disproportionate harm to minorities, people with low incomes and senior citizens. The court should enter an injunction against it before the November elections.”
“The November elections are less than two months away, and Pennsylvania has a new voter identification law... That worries the League of Women Voters of the Lewisburg Area. ... “I have a concern that a lot of people aren’t aware of what they need to vote,” said Sue Travis, who’s in charge of the group’s voter ID project. “That’s part of the reason we’re doing this.” ... What the league is doing is its “Got Your Photo ID?” campaign...”
“The Justice Department has cleared New Hampshire's voter ID law under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Unlike voter ID laws DOJ has challenged, voters who lack an acceptable form of photo identification will be allowed to cast a ballot if they sign an affidavit confirming their identity.”
"Eugene Sim is living a Catch 22. More than one month ago Sim, 62, applied to renew his Indiana identification card."
“Fortunately, federal courts are seeing these efforts for what they are: a variation on the racist laws that disenfranchised millions before those tactics were outlawed by the Voting Rights Act. … These federal courts were careful to respect state sovereignty. But they were also mindful that state laws that suppress minority votes cannot be allowed to stand.”