From the Desk of Janice Bigelow, President of the League of Women Voters. PA Voter ID Law Q: What happens when PA enacts a Voter Photo ID Law? A: The League of Women Voters litigated, advocated, informed, and educated for the voters of PA. The PA League was one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to overturn the Photo ID Law as unconstitutional and began a campaign to advocate for those adversely affected by this law. The attempted implementation and explanations of the Photo ID law created confusion and uncertainty for voters, election boards, and the DMV with its confusing requirements of what made an acceptable photo ID. Our local league (LWV of the Lewisburg Area) formed a committee of 15 people who worked tirelessly during the summer of 2012 to develop a brochure and a flyer to inform voters what they would need in order to vote in the next election. At every step of the way we worked with the Union County Board of Elections to make sure that the information we were providing to voters was complete and accurate. Our committee determined that senior citizens, low-income persons, and people with disabilities would have the most difficulty obtaining a photo ID. The committee also identified 36 organizations (care facilities, schools, housing projects, libraries) that serve those who would have difficulty obtaining a photo ID. Brochures and flyers explaining the law were provided to all of these organizations. While the state league and other organizations litigated the constitutionality of the law, the courts suspended the law for two elections. In January Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard L. McGinley overturned the PA Photo ID Law. A post-trial motion has already been filed by the PA Governor’s office asking that Judge McGinley’s ruling either be reversed, the law re-instated, or another trial ordered. Q: Now what? A: League of Women Voters of PA president, Susan Carty, has advised that continued vigilance is needed. Susan stated, “Clarity, clarity, clarity. Preventing voter confusion and providing voter confidence through knowledge. That will be our focus for the upcoming elections.”
Posted on: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 14:52:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015