Democracy Has Prevailed.

March 24, 2009

Voter photo ID bill back -- call or e-mail to oppose!

From an email I received:

Why is Senate Bill 514 bad?

1. It's quite common for older, handicapped, poorer, and minority people not to have photo ID. The cost and bother of getting photo ID is significant for them.

2. there were no allegations of fraud of this sort in the past election--this is a "fix" to a phantom problem.

3. we already have a requirement for new voters to show ID, and draconian penalties for voter fraud.

Read here (pdf) for details.

What should you do?

Use http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm to find your state senator and complain, and/or write directly to the chair and minority chair of the PA Senate State Government Committee. That's Senator McIlhinney, e-mail= cmcilhinney "at" pasen.gov and Senator Williams, e-mail = williams "at" pasenate.com

Also consider a letter to the editor, especially if your senator is unlikely to be "on the fence" on this issue. Even if it comes down to a Rendell veto, having an informed public really matters.

To track the progress of the bill, go here.

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13 comments:

Sherry Pasquarello said...

my mom is 90 years old. she votes at the senior highrise where she lives. to get her to a photo i.d. center would not be easy.

this is a silly bill.

Maria said...

Yeah, just took my 93 year-old grandmother to the bank on Saturday and we realized her state ID had expired two years ago. It's going to be a bit of a struggle for her physically to go get it renewed becuase that involves getting in and out of a car, waiting around, etc. (it also involves someone taking off work to take her). She still votes in person because it's just across the street from her and she goes when there's no line and I can walk her over.

Sherry Pasquarello said...

we made my mom stop driving a few years ago. for her safety and everyone else's.
but, every time, EVERY time someone mentions driving or licences or i.d. she has a fit at me or whoever in the family happens to be around(usually me)


i really don't want to hear her opinion on this. : (

Conservative Mountaineer said...

I'd argue for two things...

1. A voter ID, PLUS,

2. A compentency test.

As a monitor in a heavily minority district for the last election, it is my STRONG opinion many of those who voted had no business voting... "Where's the Obama button?" types. They had NO 'effin clue. There were a number of 'voters' wheeled in that probably couldn't say or spell their own name... SOMEONE ELSE actually pressed the Democrat straight party ballot for them.

Another idea... eliminate the straight party ticket option. Of course, Murtha and Kanjorski would be looking for other work.

Also.. CLOSED primaries. That way the Democrats would not have been abke to crossover in states such as MI to give us McCain... and, by final result, Obama.

Conservative Mountaineer said...

The spelling police can KMA. I know I misspelled competency.. this site doe not have an edit function.

Sherry Pasquarello said...

tests can be fixed so that elections can be stolen. that's why we don't have them now.

by the way, my mother tho 90 is as sharp as can be and still lives by herself and does her own cooking and laundry and light housekeeping AND pays all her bills herself.

she just can't drive anymore.


and i will venture to guess that there were people as you described so nastily, that voted straight republican as well

Conservative Mountaineer said...

Sherry...

The people I saw voting had NOOOO business voting. They only wanted to vote for Obama because he was BLACK. Nothing more, nothing less. Those that did are RACIST. But, those are the same people that are shiftless, lazy and always wanting to blame everyone else for their station in life. Let me geive them some advice... try voting for a different political party that has get them 'down on the plantation' for so long.

I don't doubt that regarding Republican straight-ticket voting. I am AGAINST straight-party voting. I withhold my vote for many races by only voting for true Conservatives (e.g. NO ARLEN SPECTOR or for anyone who files for both Democrat and Republican).

Maria said...

CM,

Wow! You're a freakin' mind reader!

You saw some people voting and you were able to tell from nothing more than that "They had NO 'effin clue" and that because they could not walk they "probably couldn't say or spell their own name" and that "They only wanted to vote for Obama because he was BLACK" and they were "shiftless, lazy and always wanting to blame everyone else for their station in life."

Amazing!

And you could tell all that just by watching them vote -- well, watching them vote "in a heavily minority district" that is.

And you have the nerve to call them racist?

I guess not so amazing.

Maria said...

I wonder how your mind reading skills function in districts that are heavily majority?

Tell me, can you read white folks minds as well as your read the minds of black folks?

Maria said...

How about Chinese?

Maria said...

How are you at Latino mind reading?

Would it differ if you were in a conservative Cuban neighborhood in Miami versus, say, a Puerto Rican neighborhood in NYC?

Maria said...

Oh, by the way, the Senate State
Government Committee tabled
consideration of the bill.

HA!

Sherry Pasquarello said...

yes, and i'm glad.