The decision by Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson on the law requiring each voter to show a valid photo ID could be appealed to the state Supreme Court. Click Here for the full story.
Reaction
Gov. Tom Corbett and Secretary of State Carol Aichele issued the following statements today in response to Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson’s decision on the Voter ID law:
“We are pleased with Judge Simpson’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the voter ID law,’’ Corbett said. “While we believe we have made it possible for every registered voter who needs voter identification to obtain one, we’ll continue our efforts for the next election and all future elections, to make sure every registered voter has the proper identification in an effort to preserve the integrity of our voting process in Pennsylvania.”
Aichele, whose department oversees elections in Pennsylvania, said:
“The streamlined process put in place by the Corbett Administration to help all voters get IDs would have allowed all voters to have acceptable ID by November. However, the judge has concerns about this, and thus the same procedure will be in effect for this election as for the spring primary, in that voters will be requested to show ID, but ID will not be required to vote.
“We will continue our education and outreach efforts, as directed by the judge in his order, to let Pennsylvanians know the voter ID law is still on track to be fully implemented for future elections, and we urge all registered voters to make sure they have acceptable ID.
“This law is designed to preserve the integrity of every vote by doing what we can to make sure each voter is who they claim to be at the polls, and we are confident this law will be fully implemented in future elections.’’
Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following statement in reaction to the decision by Commonwealth Court on the controversial voter ID law:
“We are pleased with Judge Simpson’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the voter ID law,’’ Corbett said. “While we believe we have made it possible for every registered voter who needs voter identification to obtain one, we’ll continue our efforts for the next election and all future elections, to make sure every registered voter has the proper identification in an effort to preserve the integrity of our voting process in Pennsylvania.”
Aichele, whose department oversees elections in Pennsylvania, said:
“The streamlined process put in place by the Corbett Administration to help all voters get IDs would have allowed all voters to have acceptable ID by November. However, the judge has concerns about this, and thus the same procedure will be in effect for this election as for the spring primary, in that voters will be requested to show ID, but ID will not be required to vote.
“We will continue our education and outreach efforts, as directed by the judge in his order, to let Pennsylvanians know the voter ID law is still on track to be fully implemented for future elections, and we urge all registered voters to make sure they have acceptable ID.
“This law is designed to preserve the integrity of every vote by doing what we can to make sure each voter is who they claim to be at the polls, and we are confident this law will be fully implemented in future elections.’’
Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following statement in reaction to the decision by Commonwealth Court on the controversial voter ID law:
"In my view, the court's decision is the correct one in blocking the voter ID law from taking effect this November. The court is trying to deal with an ill-conceived and short-sighted law.
"There has been so much controversy about this law, I still believe that some voters will not come out to vote fearing that they do not have the proper ID and therefore be disenfranchised.
"At the very least, the ruling means that voters will not be prevented from casting their votes and having them counted.
"Eligible voters should go and exercise their right to vote on Election Day and not worry about whether they have a photo ID. The whole controversy is a product of a short-sighted partisan political calculation. By not voting, partisanship wins so voters should not let that happen."
House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody called today’s injunction to suspend mandatory voter ID for the upcoming election a victory for voting rights.
“The court order ensures that no citizen will be deprived of the constitutional right to vote as a result of the voter suppression law pushed through by Gov. Corbett and Republican legislators,” Rep. Dermody said, “at least not this year.”NewsClips:
Judge Blocks Enforcement Of Voter ID Law
Judge Blocks Parts Of PA Voter ID Law
Court: Voters Can Cast Regular Ballots Without ID
Short Time Frame, Low Number Of ID Cards Led To Ruling
