By Michael Smerconish
Follow @smerconish
Let me finish tonight with this.
They say all politics is local. For me, the ongoing debate between ballot integrity vs. voter suppression, certainly is.
Like Chris, I am from Philadelphia. He's from the City, I'm from the 'burbs. If Pennsylvania is a battleground state, I live at the front, which is why I can tell you that the ramifications of a new voter ID law on my turf will have national implications.
The new law in Pennsylvania mandates that voters produce a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issued photo ID. When the folks who run elections in Pennsylvania recently compared driver and voter records, they found that 758,939 voters were not on the driver's license lists.
It is possible that some of those individuals have the alternative form of acceptable ID. They include: an ID from an accredited Pennsylvania college or university, state care facility, military ID, valid US passport, or other photo identification issued by the federal or Pennsylvania government or employee ID issued by the federal, state, county, or municipal government.
But for most voters, the driver's license is the standard ID.
It is also possible that the results were skewed by individuals who registered to vote with names slightly different than appear on their licenses.
But where it was revealed that 9.2% of the state's 8.2 million voters don't have the photo ID cards from the state Transportation Department, it is cause for alarm. It certainly casts doubt on prior assertions by the Secretary of the Commonwealth that 99% of voters already have the ID they require.
In Bucks County, where I was born and raised, 6% lack a driver's license or the state issued non driver's license. Republican David Heckler is the District Attorney since 2010, and that year there was a single case of voter fraud.
In Montgomery County, where I live now, the number is 8.5%. Republican Risa Ferman has been the District Attorney since 2007, and there have been no voter fraud prosecutions on her watch.
In Chris' hometown, 18% of city residents don't have the PennDot ID. Democrats outnumber Republicans 6:1 in the city. Democrat Seth Williams has been the District Attorney since 2010. There have been no voter fraud prosecutions on his watch, nor for at least the last decade.
So it's not as if there is a crisis demanding a new law.
Who are those with their voting rights threatened? They are disproportionately poor and minority — not exactly the prototypical Romney voters. No wonder that, at a GOP state leadership meeting, the House Republican leader recently said, "Voter ID, which is going to allow Gov. Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania — done."
A court challenge is scheduled to be heard in two weeks. In an editorial yesterday, the Philadelphia Inquirer correctly noted:
"What a treacherous irony it would be if the presidential election was stolen — not by virtually nonexistent voter fraud — but as a result of voter ID being allowed to stand."
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Whats the big deal, minorities already have IDs to cash a disability, or welfare check.
Wow, racist much? I guess all minorities are on welfare or disability. Except for the huge amount of minorities that I served with in the military. Did you serve Mr. racist?
How about the elderly women who have been voting long before you were born but now live in retirement homes and can no longer drive and now when they go to the DMV with their birth certificates and other paper work it has their maiden names not their married names on it and the DMV personnel tell them to get an attorney? Do you think these elderly people can afford attorneys to fight the government for a voting problem that doesn't exist? Especially now that we have tape of Republican leaders admitting that this was an attempt to suppress votes in addition to several written articles saying the same.
Why don't you go hang yourself since you hate democracy and supporting the right of your fellow citizens to vote? Seriously move to a country where they just tell you who your leader is and if you disagree they shoot you, I believe that's what you Republican's want anyway right?
Sed?! In my office now!!! :)
Again? Is it what I said or is it because someone told you I had a bong in my locker? Ha Ha Ha!
If the state has done the data analysis to figure out that these voters do not have ID, why not conduct mail outreach to them to let them know about the new rule?
Supposedly they did. But as usual the Republicans lied. They claimed this would affect less than 1%, according to their RECORDS. But surprise, surprise it has affected over 10% of the population mostly poor working Democrats when the voter fraud problem was .0004%
Republicans are Liars, Cheats and Thieves this is not hyperbola but just fact.
Without intervention, the courts for instance, it appears the math of the suppression could work and make the difference in an election. Remember, in real-time of the 2000 recount, which was going Gore's way, the recount offices were invaded by protesters which literally stopped the recount at that point in time and, regardless of the courts at that particular time would by itself have resulted in a Bush win.
Of course, Gore won the popular vote. Gore also won the vote count in Fla. The initial electronic machine count it should be noted came back with a negative number for Gore proving that the electronic coding had been tampered with.
Bush V Gore, further proof America is now a banana republic.
Sed, if they are poor working democrats they need ID's to cash their check so this wouldn't affect them. You logic is impeccable! Einstein.
Really, Einstein? So you cash your check huh? Because I like overwhelming vast majority of Americans get their checks deposited to their checking accounts. Seniors, especially senior women just pay them electronically, "genius." These payments are done for them by their representatives in the "old folks homes."
Now they will be required to have someone drive them to a DMV that may be 100 mile away from the rest home to get them a new drivers license because guess what "Einstein" they don't drive anymore. But guess what "genius" because these women have their maiden names on their birth certificates and not their married names they now have to get an attorney to get a valid ID to vote moron. Attorneys they can't afford because they are retired and the Bush recession of '08 destroyed their pensions and all their savings!
Thanks for supporting your Republican party and suppressing votes in America. Thanks for being a "Nazi" and preventing your grandparents who fought in WWII to make sure you were safe and made sure you were actually born free from being able to vote you traitor to America and American democracy! Make sure you send money to Australian Rupert Murdoch his Chinese Wife and their Saudi Arabian Fox News owners for convincing you to suppress voting in America idiot!
You want to talk facts GENIUS, then lets talk FACTS.
Voter fraud doesn't exist! President Bush had his Federal Judges investigated voter fraud for four years! Do you remember? He threatened to fire them if they DIDN'T FIND voter fraud. Unfortunately, they didn't find ANY VOTER FRAUD ANYWHERE! IT DOESN'T EXIST! AND THEY'RE REPUBLICANS!
What does exist though is ELECTION FRAUD! There is tons of electronic election machine fraud. There is tons of miscounted votes every election cycle! There are tons of votes not counted from overseas and from mailed in votes and from provisional ballots! There are also misrepresented vote totals from elected representatives who LIE!
But the MEDIA the POLITICIANS and the COURTS, REFUSE, ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to address this very real issue! As usual they would rather suppress votes to cheat the public and democracy and pander rather than address the real problems with our system. The MEDIA, the POLITICIANS and the COURTS are corrupt to the core and it is people like chemdmd who are so stupid they would rather just keep throwing mud at other citizens than throw the real bums out and fix the problems!
Re: Voter IDs: there are millions of fake IDS in use in the US; used mostly by whites. If one applies Republicans' logic for requiring voter IDs to solve the so-called problem of a few dozen cases of voter fraud, then they should be campaigning on the need for a new National Voter-ID card with DNA test for everyone!
Requiring a driver's or gun license in order to vote is a joke when one considers how much easier it is to get a fake ID.
If voter fraud is their true concern, Republicans should be introducing laws that require a new national ID, issued after a DNA test, finger-printing, and a SS number. Republicans need Big Brother to fix their imaginary problem.
Maybe a few smart Democrats should introduce such a bill - just to demonstrate the absurdity of it all.