Thursday, November 15, 2012
There’s much more opportunity for voter fraud with absentee ballots than at the polls.
There are four seasons in the coal region, according to the terrific web site CoalRegion.com: Almost winter, winter, still winter and construction. That observation came to mind during this past election season, which seemed to have the longevity of a coal region winter. At the risk of prolonging a season that many want to forget, I’d like to revisit one issue that is sure to come up again in future elections: Voter ID. There were complaints at some polls in Lehigh and Northampton counties that voters were being asked for identification even though a Commonwealth Court judge issued an injunction Oct. 2 that said photo identification wasn’t required this election (except for first-time voters.) The judge’s ruling, however, allowed the state…
Friday, November 9, 2012
Some voters were turned away Tuesday for not having photo ID even though the voter ID law was put on hold
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Friday, November 9, 2012
By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent HARRISBURG — The elections are over, but the discussion about voting integrity continues. In the Lehigh Valley, problems Tuesday included: controversial signs at Easton polls, questions that made voters uncomfortable in Nazareth and voters turned away in southside Bethlehem. House Speaker Sam Smith, R-Jefferson, told reporters Wednesday afternoon that he’s heard stories about 90 percent of precincts reporting 90 percent voter turnout. Smith called the numbers “questionable,” but would not call them evidence of fraud. Attempts to verify Smith’s claims were unsuccessful, but the comment alone was enough to anger state Sen. Vince Hughes, D-Philadelphia. Hughes said he was at a number of polling places on …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Election Day brought problems at polls in several areas of eastern Pennsylvania
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Election Day brought problems at polls in several areas of eastern Pennsylvania
EASTERN PA — Several reports of voting irregularities in Eastern Pennsylvania emerged on Tuesday, the day of the presidential election. In Easton, signs appeared offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to voter fraud convictions. A constable for Easton’s 10th ward removed one such sign staked into the ground after consulting with an elections attorney on site. The Pennsylvania Commercial Action Network, the same group that posted “Replace ObamaCare” billboards around the state, made the signs. ID Requests Many Easton voters also reported poll workers asking for their IDs, even though IDs are not required for this election cycle under the law. Matthew Keeler, press secretary for the PA Department of State, said that's part of the …
Monday, November 5, 2012
Poll workers may ask you for a valid photo ID but you are not required to present photo ID to vote in this election in Pennsylvania
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Monday, November 5, 2012
Election Day is finally upon us and polls will be open in Pennsylvania from 7 a.m to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6. Poll workers may ask you for a valid photo ID but you are not required to present photo ID to vote in this election. If you do not provide the requested ID, you will be given information on the requirements for voting in 2013. More information including local polling places is available on these websites:
Thursday, October 18, 2012
PennDOT had planned to open its driver's license centers the day before Election Day but the centers will be closed Nov. 5 since the state's Voter ID law has been put on hold.
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Thursday, October 18, 2012
PennDOT driver's license centers, including the ones serving Lehigh and Northampton counties, will be closed Monday, Nov. 5 in keeping with their usual schedule of being closed Mondays. PennDOT had planned to open the centers on the day before Election Day so voters could get state-approved photo identification to take to the polls. Since then, a court ruling has put implementation of the state's Voter ID law on hold. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) -the union representing its driver licensing center employees - asked that PennDOT reconsider the decision to open the centers the day before the general election in light of the Commonwealth Court decision related to the Voter ID law. As a result, …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Tuesday's court ruling will allow voters to cast ballots on Nov. 6 without showing photo ID at the polls
Judge Robert Simpson issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday morning, halting part of Pennsylvania's tough new Voter ID Law from affecting the November presidential election. While the decision does not repeal the law that requires citizens to show photo identification to vote, if upheld, the ruling allows registered voters to cast ballots without an ID. Any appeal of Tuesday's ruling will be expedited by the state Supreme Court since Election Day is just five weeks away. To issue an injunction on the law, Simpson was tasked to consider two questions: Simpson, of Nazareth, is a former Northampton County judge. What do you think of the ruling? Tell us in the comments section below. Both supporters and opponents of the law reacted to the …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Find out what people are saying online about Tuesday's ruling on Pennsylvania's controversial Voter ID Law.
Most Tweets are happy with the ruling, but some people are frustrated and others still appear confused by it all.
Judge Robert Simpson ruled Tuesday that implementation of Pennsylvania's new Voter ID law be put on hold until after the Nov. 6 general election.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012
A judge ruled today that Pennsylvania's tough new Voter ID Law should be put on hold until after the Nov. 6 general election, according to an Associated Press report. The ruling can be appealed to the state Supreme Court, which said it would expedite any further action in the case since Election Day is just five weeks away. Do you agree with the ruling? Tell us in the comments section below. Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson heard two days of testimony last week, as directed by the Supreme Court, to determine whether the state has made it easy enough to get a photo ID in order to vote. Opponents say the law, and the process to get an ID, disenfranchises voters. Supporters say the law will prevent voter fraud - but that justification …
Friday, September 28, 2012
Survey of April primary voters shows more minorities, poor, elderly lack proper IDs.
Democratic state senators released a report Wednesday that drew on surveys from the April primary election to demonstrate a disproportionate number of poor, elderly and minority voters lack proper voter ID. While the courts decide whether to issue an injunction against the law that requires citizens to produce a valid form of photo identification to vote, two lawmakers shared a report emphasizing why the law should be overturned. State Sens. Vincent Hughes (D-7) and Anthony Hardy Williams (D-8) led a conference call with reporters Wednesday to discuss a Voter ID report compiled by the Center for Social Policy Studies at Swarthmore College. "This confirms what we've been saying all along about this law, which is a failed law. At best, it …
Amend Wun
9:44 am on Friday, November 16, 2012
@Carl- the free IDs were only offered up a few weeks prior to the election and only as a reaction to the fact that voters would have incurred a fee otherwise. I haven't yet heard that those IDs are still being offered since this legislation was put on hold. And it's still incumbent on those seeking to enact this legislation to prove the need. How would presenting an ID keep dead people, felons … more ›