USA/FILE: Judge blocks Pennsylvania from requiring voters to show photo identification in November's U.S. election, a decision that could influence turnout

Record ID: 328825

  • Title: USA/FILE: Judge blocks Pennsylvania from requiring voters to show photo identification in November's U.S. election, a decision that could influence turnout
  • Date: 3rd October 2012
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 2, 2012) (REUTERS) JON GREENBAUM, CHIEF COUNSEL AT THE LAWYER'S COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW, SEATED AT HIS DESK (SOUNDBITE) (English) JON GREENBAUM, CHIEF COUNSEL AT THE LAWYER'S COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW, SAYING: "It appears as though there are certain politicians that see political advantage to taking certain people, namely people that are poor, people that are minority people that are elderly, students, out of the political process."
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Legal System,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4LQVWI0HJB2HV5AWSZUITY798
  • Story Text: A judge on Tuesday (October 2) blocked Pennsylvania from requiring voters to show photo identification in November's U.S. election, a decision that could influence turnout in a top electoral prize in the presidential race.
    In a setback for Republican state officials who championed the controversial law and had hoped it would help them deliver Pennsylvania for their party's presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson delayed its implementation until after Election Day, November 6.
    Simpson, however, did signal the law, which requires people seeking to vote to show either a state driver's license, government employee ID or a state non-driver ID card, could be implemented for future elections. The judge, ordered by the state's highest court to revisit his earlier ruling upholding the law, set a hearing for December 13 to further discuss the case.
    The ruling comes exactly five weeks before the presidential election pitting challenger Romney against President Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee whom polls show has a sizable lead in the state. The closely watched case is also one of several challenges to recent laws around the country requiring voters to show proof of who they are and their eligibility to vote.
    Simpson, who heard frustrated voters testify about the slow, mistake-prone process of obtaining the cards, said he had expected a greater number of identification cards to have been issued by now.
    Governor Tom Corbett, also a Republican and backer of the law, said he had no plans to appeal the decision handed down on Tuesday.
    Corbett and other supporters say the law is aimed at ensuring only those legally eligible to vote cast ballots. Critics say it is designed to keep minority voters, who typically vote Democratic, away from the polls.
    Jon Greenbaum, Chief Counsel from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told Reuters, "It appears as though there are certain politicians that see political advantage to taking certain people, namely people that are poor, people that are minority people that are elderly, students, out of the political process."
    The state of Pennsylvania has acknowledged it has never seen a case of in-person voter fraud, according to court testimony.
    Jerome Mondesire, President of the Pennsylvania NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), added, "This was a hastily drawn law designed to do one thing, disrupt the vote for the presidential election."
    American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters, Latino Justice and SeniorLAW Center have argued the requirements make it impractical or nearly impossible for senior citizens, minorities and the poor to get the IDs.
    On Tuesday, a three-hour wait at a voter ID issuing center in Philadelphia was endured by a crowd of 200 people, mostly African American.
    Simpson's ruling followed testimony from a dozen people who recalled the hurdles they had to overcome to get IDs, including long waits, multiple trips and misinformation. One of the witnesses, who included a person who walked with a cane and another in a wheelchair who called her experience maddening, saying she nearly gave up after several days' quest for the card.
    Pennsylvania is one of the top prizes in the election, bringing the winner 20 votes in the Electoral College, tying it with Illinois for fifth in the ranks of electors by state. Only California, Texas, New York and Florida bring more.
    To win the White House, either Obama or Romney must capture at least 270 of the Electoral College's 538 available votes. A CNN poll released last week showed Obama with a 9 percentage point margin over Romney among likely voters in the state, leading 49 percent to 40 percent.
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