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The Voter ID Bill

Written by Larry Roeder, Editor
2012-03-22

The Voter ID bill was signed into law last week but don’t look for smooth sailing as the new law, expected to cost taxpayers anywhere from $4 million to $11 million, faces the challenges of many.

Act 18 of 2012 was passed after much deliberation. The final bill included safeguards to protect voters while preserving the integrity of the process – that being the requirement of photo identification at the polls.

Previously, only first-time voters were required to show a photo ID. Now, each voter will be required to present proof of identification when he or she appears to vote at any election.

The law becomes effective with the April 2012 primary but officials will not require photo IDs until the November 2012 general election.

Those without valid ID will be permitted to cast provisional ballots during the general election but will need to present proper identification to elections officials within six days in order for their vote to count.

The original version of the new law allowed for identification issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government only. The Senate amended it to allow the use of badges issued to county and municipal employees, unexpired photo identifications issued by colleges, universities and care facilities such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities and personal care boarding homes. The new law also provides for religious exemptions.

There are some who have embraced the new law and others who curse it. The legislative votes in Harrisburg pretty much fell along party lines.

Many Democrats (aka the left) claim it’s a way to suppress their numbers and many Republicans (aka the right) assert that the new law is designed to protect and enhance democracy. Both sides appear willing to fight tooth-and-nail to prove who’s correct. We in the middle will pay the cost of the soon-to-be-filed litigations. Only the lawyers will win.

Recent polls report that a vast majority of voting-age Pennsylvanians have photo IDs already. The polls also indicate that many of those without photo IDs reside in our urban areas. If Democrats truly believe that voting rights will be affected, they can exert an effort to make sure that this manageable segment of their electoral base understands and complies (even help them acquire photo IDs) with the new law instead of threatening to raid the Commonwealth’s coffers (aka our tax dollars) via lawsuits.

Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in Pennsylvania by nearly 1.1 million voters. If statewide fraud was truly a problem, why do Republicans hold the governor’s office, the state House, and state Senate? So the voter-fraud issue Republicans claim has a few holes in it as well.

The taxpayers are tired of the shenanigans of the party leaders on both sides of the red and blue line.

We have the elected nucleus of Pennsylvania legislators to have a true government of the people, by the people and for the people. Now we need them to stand up to the party bosses and tell them that, “We no longer work for you – we work for the people.”

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