Pennsylvania’s New Voting ID Law Causes Controversy

Pennsylvania Supreme Court discussed Pennsylvania’s new voter ID law on Thursday, Sept. 13. So far the law is still being upheld.

There is a predicted 759,000 people in the state of Pennsylvania who will be deemed ineligible to vote due to Pennsylvania’s new voter ID law.

“This year, in this country, the greatest democracy on earth, we have seen more states pass more laws, pushing more voters out of the ballot box than we have seen in the past 100 years,” NAACP President Benjamin Jealous told FOX News.

The law requires that a person present his or her valid driver’s license or other form of identification before voting. If they do not have this they must get a voter ID.

CBS News reported that the law was signed by Governor Corbett in March without Democratic support.

The Advancement Project and the American Civil Liberties Union fought back last month when the Commonwealth Court supported the new law.

A person who shows up to vote without the necessary identification can make a provisional vote. They must then show the correct form of identification within six days.

This law, intended to prevent fraud, is brand new for Pennsylvania and will be affecting many for the upcoming presidential election.

“The voter ID newly in place is most definitely going to discourage people from the polls,” said Nicole Talmo, a sophomore political science major at Bloomsburg University. “People that do not have their IDs on them, some who may not have a driver’s license, or people that don’t pay attention to the law will definitely just not vote.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Secretary of State’s office has given out 7,800 voter IDs. There has been a tremendous effort to make people aware of the new law, but some worry it is not enough.

According to CBS news, alerting people of this new law has cost 5 million dollars.

“In my opinion, the law was completely unnecessary,” said Talmo, “Being registered to vote is enough.”

Those supporting the law claim that it is not difficult to obtain the proper identification, most have a valid driver’s license, and there is nothing to worry about.

Those in opposition say that the law will prevent minorities from voting and will lead to suppression.

A group of 100 people swarmed outside the Supreme Court house’s deliberation on Thursday with protest shirts and signs.

State Representative Babette Josephs said, “The Republicans did this to beat Obama, and to make sure that they remain in the majority in state government,” FOX News reported. She said that many people are either unaware or don’t understand the new ID requirements.

The controversy continues to grow, while the election date is only getting closer. FOX News predicts a ruling before the election.