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More Voter Suppression: Court Knocks Down ID Law: But Poll Workers Can Still Ask For ID
state judge on Tuesday brought some temporary relief to the democratic process in Pennsylvania, ruling that voters there will be able to cast a ballot for president next month even if they lack an ID card. If the ruling holds up, it will mean the failure, for now, of a Republican effort to disenfranchise minority and low-income voters likely to support President Obama.But neither the judge, Robert Simpson, nor the State Supreme Court took the far more courageous step of tossing out the entire voter ID law for violating the rights of Pennsylvania citizens. Instead, Judge Simpson said there simply wasn’t time before the Nov. 6 election to ensure that no one would be disenfranchised by the law. In effect, he gave voters a few more months or years to obtain state IDs, missing the point that the cards are unneeded and unfair in the first place.
“I expected more photo IDs to have been issued by this time,” he wrote. “For this reason, I accept petitioners’ argument that in the remaining five weeks before the general election, the gap between the photo IDs issued and the estimated need will not be closed.”
The judge also refused to stop election officials from asking for ID cards at the polls. Those without identification can still vote, and they will not have to use provisional ballots. But for voters who aren’t keeping up with the news, merely being asked the question could create unnecessary confusion and fear. READMOREHERE
You can’t buy cold medicine without an ID. this is ridiculous.