home

Tag: Voter id laws

Judge Blocks PA Voter ID Law

Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson has blocked Pennsylvania's voter ID law. He ruled it could go into effect for next year's election, but cannot be implemented for the November elections.

His ruling came after listening to two days of testimony about the state's eleventh-hour efforts to make it easier to get a valid photo ID. He also heard about long lines and ill-informed clerks at driver's license centers and identification requirements that made it hard for some registered voters to get a state-issued photo ID.

The ruling, available here, was not based on constitutional issues.

Rather, the state Supreme Court had ordered him to stop the law if he thought anyone eligible would be unable to cast a ballot because of it or if he found the state had not complied with the law's promise of providing liberal access to a photo ID that voters were required to carry on Election Day.

(4 comments) Permalink :: Comments

Candidates Respond to Voter ID Ruling

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have responded to today's Supreme Court ruling in Crawford v. Marion County Election Bd., upholding the Indiana voter id law:

Obama:

"I disagree with the decision, but we're going to do everything we can in our campaign — I trust that not only the Democratic party but fair-minded Republicans are going to do whatever they can — so that people at the state level can exercise the franchise."

Hillary:

"I have questions about it. Now obviously the law's the law, and has to be followed, but I hope it doesn't in any way suppress or deter voter turnout."

The Brennan Center, which coordinated the amicus briefs, calls the case the most important voting case since Bush v. Gore.

[More...]

(58 comments, 675 words in story) There's More :: Permalink :: Comments