There was a big victory for voter access in Pennsylvania this month, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the official State voter-information website.
This picture is on the current homepage of the Pennsylvania Department of State voter information page, votesPA.com.
As of this writing, when voters go to the site for polling-place hours, registration status, and what to bring on Election Day; they see the same vivid VOTER ID graphic now as they did before the Voter ID law was struck down. When the law was being put in place, the State filled the better part of the homepage with the attention-grabbing bulletin shown above.
Then on October 2, Commonwealth Judge Robert Simpson said that because of its potential to disenfranchise voters, the law could not be implemented for the 2012 Presidential Election. No ID required! Everybody votes!
It is hard to tell from the website that anything has changed.
Before the court decision, the wording on the votesPA homepage read: "Voters will be required to show an acceptable photo ID on Election Day."
After the decision, the wording was changed to read: "Voters will be asked, but not required to show an acceptable photo ID on Election Day."
(Emphasis mine!)
When voters click to go to the more detailed page for additional guidance, they see almost exactly the same information they saw before the law was blocked. The big red banner headline that before, said "Photo ID Required for November 2012 Election," now says "Photo ID Requested for November 2012 Election." (Again, emphasis mine.) The page contains the same admonishment that "All photo IDs must contain an expiration date that is current." It contains the same list of strict, specific forms of acceptable government-issued photo ID. It has a link to the same complex set of FAQ's, walking voters through the different forms of ID, and the steps one must take to obtain a secure PennDOT ID, including the requirement of a birth certificate with a raised seal.
It is left to the voter without ID to surmise, "All this means I can vote this year!" Using these directions, this voter is just as likely now, as before the ruling, to conclude that they may as well stay home.
Pennsylvania voters without ID have been chastised repeatedly by government officials for complaining about having to learn the new rules and jump through hoops to vote. Now when these voters proactively seek out information in order to be prepared, they are treated to a slick trick by the State.
This picture is on the current homepage of the Pennsylvania Department of State voter information page, votesPA.com.
As of this writing, when voters go to the site for polling-place hours, registration status, and what to bring on Election Day; they see the same vivid VOTER ID graphic now as they did before the Voter ID law was struck down. When the law was being put in place, the State filled the better part of the homepage with the attention-grabbing bulletin shown above.
Then on October 2, Commonwealth Judge Robert Simpson said that because of its potential to disenfranchise voters, the law could not be implemented for the 2012 Presidential Election. No ID required! Everybody votes!
It is hard to tell from the website that anything has changed.
Before the court decision, the wording on the votesPA homepage read: "Voters will be required to show an acceptable photo ID on Election Day."
After the decision, the wording was changed to read: "Voters will be asked, but not required to show an acceptable photo ID on Election Day."
(Emphasis mine!)
When voters click to go to the more detailed page for additional guidance, they see almost exactly the same information they saw before the law was blocked. The big red banner headline that before, said "Photo ID Required for November 2012 Election," now says "Photo ID Requested for November 2012 Election." (Again, emphasis mine.) The page contains the same admonishment that "All photo IDs must contain an expiration date that is current." It contains the same list of strict, specific forms of acceptable government-issued photo ID. It has a link to the same complex set of FAQ's, walking voters through the different forms of ID, and the steps one must take to obtain a secure PennDOT ID, including the requirement of a birth certificate with a raised seal.
It is left to the voter without ID to surmise, "All this means I can vote this year!" Using these directions, this voter is just as likely now, as before the ruling, to conclude that they may as well stay home.
Pennsylvania voters without ID have been chastised repeatedly by government officials for complaining about having to learn the new rules and jump through hoops to vote. Now when these voters proactively seek out information in order to be prepared, they are treated to a slick trick by the State.
