Fighting Voter Suppression

“Ten regular voters say Pennsylvania’s new voter identification law will prevent them from voting in this November’s election and they estimate as many as 80,000 to 800,000 Pennsylvanians do not have acceptable photo IDs to vote ... That's the crux of a 53-page lawsuit filed...by citizens and three organizations, including the League of Women Voters...”

“A pair of appeals court rulings this week make clear the state's new voter ID law will remain suspended through the May and June recall elections.”

“Voter advocates have urged state lawmakers not to make any changes to Ohio's election law before November, including repealing the new law. "Why rush to repeal a bill that is not in effect?" Peg Rosenfield of Ohio's League of Women Voters asked the committee.”

“... Another obstacle to getting the necessary ID is providing the necessary documentation, usually a birth certificate. Many do not have a copy of their birth certificate and obtaining one can be time consuming, complicated and costly -- especially if the voter was born out of state. To address this problem, the League of Women Voters of Dane County (Wisconsin) helps voters through the process...”

  “The forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters Duluth. They say the bill is unconstitutional and reduces the likelihood of people voting. However, the main goal of the forum is to educate the public. Gay Trachsel is the President Elect for the League of Women Voters Duluth. 'We thought it would be really important that people should know exactly what this constitutional amendment is all about and what it means...' she said.”
 

“The League of Women Voters and other civic groups have challenged the law in court. And rightfully so. Any law that mocks democracy and makes a problem worse should be scrapped.”

 “‘They're reducing the number of precincts and increasing the number of (voters) per precinct. And they're relying on the fact that people are relying on early voting, and at the same time they're reducing the number of hours. So voters are going to be caught in a Catch-22,’ said Jeanette Senecal of the non-partisan League of Women Voters, which has filed suit to block the law.”
 

“Setting the stage on a national level for this year’s elections, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on April 17 ruled that part of voter registration provisions of Arizona’s Proposition 200 violate the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA)...”

Washington, DC (April 17, 2012) – The following is a statement by Elisabeth MacNamara, national President of the League of Women Voters:

Ellen Mork, co-president of the League of Women Voters of the St. Cloud Area [MN], responds to voter photo ID concerns.