NAACP President Ben Jealous spoke today at a Philadelphia against the state's new voter identification law, which requires citizens to have a photo ID to vote.
"We have seen," Jealous said, "more states, pass more laws, pushing more voters out of the ballot box than we have seen in the last hundred years."
An appeal of the law has made its way through the court system in Pennsylvania, finally reaching the state Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments today. The PA chapter of the NAACP is one of the plaintiffs in case.
In his remarks, Jealous was careful not to be partisan. "This is not a Republican thing," he said. "It is an extremist thing."
Jealous did not, however, hide his indignation of the new ID law and several other similar ones which have been attempted across the country. "None of us should be sent back toward a day when we have things which can only be described as a poll tax."
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Best guess is that the law will be upheld, even if the issue is decided on party lines, as 6 judges are hearing the arguments, 3 appointed by Democrats, 3 by Republicans. A 3-3 tie goes in favor of the legislation passed by the state legislature, and signed by the Governor.
In other news, like economic news, it seems that those living below the poverty line in the United States are considered to have better standards of living than the middle class wage earners in Europe. Seems that the average family considered under the poverty line in the US is receiving $987 monthly in assorted Federal assistance, which is not counted towards their income when configuring if they fall below the poverty line. These are the same people that Ben Jealous claims are "too poor to afford the fees for state approved photo IDs", although in Europe they are considered mandatory for all interactions with government, including and especially voting.
Do YOU realize we don't live in Europe? Move there if you like it and want to be like them. I prefer the US.
That's fine, NativeSom...so get a PHOTO ID and get on about your living in the USA.
All Italian citizens can request an identity card issued by the municipality in which they live. The card lasts ten years and is a valid document to leave the country when traveling to another country. It is not compulsory to carry the card itself, as the authorities only have the right to ask for the identity of a person, not for a specific document. However, if public-security officers are not convinced of the claimed identity, such as may be the case for a verbally provided identity claim, they may arrest the claimant until his/her identity is ascertained. Such an arrest is limited to the time necessary for identification and has no legal consequence.
A classic Italian identity card (now in the process of being replaced by a newer template) has four pages, containing:
Funny how the libs want us to be more like Europe until it contradicts their argument. They could be more consistent if they actually based their arguments on sound principles. Its like trying to have an adult conversation with my 8 year old daughter.
I am amazed that liberals aren't offended by their leadership when they say that needing an ID to vote suppresses democratic votes. To me their leadership is saying that only people from the left are too lazy or stupid to get an ID. It's like they are admitting that the right are smarter and have more drive.
If any state thinks that this is important, then they should provide resources to get everyone that needs one an ID that would suffice to prove who they are. This should not be rushed as it would take a good two to four years to accomplish this. And by providing resources, I mean methods that don't make it difficult for those that do not drive and having facilities specifically set up throughout the state(s) to achieve this.
Personally I think voter ID laws enacted or trying to be enacted are reprehensible and a direct attack on freedom in this country.
RE: We don't need no education, (Comment #2 )
Agreed. A few points however:
There should be no requirement for an expiration date on a photo ID card for the purpose of being able to vote. The only justification for an expiration date should be if such is needed for the primary use of said card, such as a Drivers License - otherwise, the requirement for an expiration date on a photo ID card for voting purposes is tantamount to a poll tax - unless the State is going to pay all costs, including babysitters, transportation, replacement copies of birth certificates, marriage permits, or any other ancillary information required for proof of identity - most likely citizens of the State will balk at covering the costs for such photo ID that won't do anything to prevent voter fraud but will all to easily cause voter suppression.
RE:
I agree 100%, for many reasons, of which the most significant is that a majority of the registered voters who would be adversely affected by such a requirement have lived at the same address and voted at the same precinct for decades, and are well-known to the precinct workers. The other major factor is a presumed distrust of segments of the population least likely and least capable of engaging in voter fraud
Well, we are getting closer to the nanny state where the government will be sending in uniformed nurses to change everyone's diapers for them, and spoon feed them their daily portion of gruel. but until then, perhaps there still might be some modicum of self respect and self responsibility losse in the land where citizens act in the their own interest, and take care of their own business, wedontneednoeducation.
Yes it is. To get The Repugs in The White House.
Wait a minute! WHY is this even a State issue? This is what I don't get. Who knew these important matters were even UP TO the States to decide???!!! I'm a citizen of the U.S., not of California, for instance. Can this be explained to me please ??? Or better, on the air! A lot of us are wondering. I and my friends are educated, executive-type 50-something, successful citizens. And honestly, this comes as a surprise that it's even an issue!!!
RE: laura clark, (Comment #3)
Because of State's Rights. However, even if State's Rights wasn't an issue, there is no such thing as a National ID card, much less a National Voter Registration card. Besides, I strongly suspect that the only people who have anything that is not a State-related ID card are people who work for the Federal Government: Military Personnel (presumably including those in the National Guard or other Reserves - even if they "work," in some ways, for the Governor of the State where they happen to be stationed, because they can be Activated), Civil Service Employees, the President, VP, members of the Cabinet and their high-level assistants, and the Secret Service. (US Post Office employees are quasi-governmental employees, so I'm uncertain about them.)
Because this isn't a national referendum? This is a state operated and voting process under regulation of your Secretary of State, as in all states, Aand their will be other issues for your voting consideraion on your state ballot other than the vote within each state for the Offices of President/Vice President that will determine how the electoral votes of you state are allocated. Try reading the Constitution of the United States, CosmicChuck. BTW, hows that legalization of marijuana moement coming out there, you look to be one of its proponents, pot head!
making people pay for identification so they can vote is a poll tax; and therefore, unconstitutional. If there is going to be a voting ID required, it has to be both free and give people an appropriate amount of time to get it. In PA it has cost people nearly $100 plus missed work, plus long travel. And that's for PA residents who have always lived there. People from out of state have to travel to the place of birth to get a birth certificate to get their IDs, and many old people were not born in hospitals and don't have a birth certificate. It is just an effective means of making sure poorer people do not vote in this election.
A long, long time before there was a comfiscatory progressive federal income tax to support a growing federal govenment, the poll tax was a means of raising money, like for the Mexican War, for example. Paying small handling fee for an govenment or approved substitute photo ID is hardly a poll tax, fool!
Sorry,let a typo go by. Make that coNfiscatory, not coMfiscatory in the first sentence above.
According to the Pennsylvania state government, they have a capacity problem when it comes to giving people the ID's before the election in November. My understanding is only 60K citizens can get their ID's......that leaves, what, 3/4 of a million voters unable to get the ID they need in order to vote? Come on! How are people supposed to get these in time? This is NOT the USA I know and love. This is cynical, dangerous and certainly not the values we citizens believe in.
Did you even bother to take into consideration that the vast majority of Pennsylvania voters already have approved photo IDs in their possession, Robin? And that the legislation was passed and signed and operative a full 6 months prior to the November election, and well publicized?
@Keith Longley.. Thats not true, this because everyone knows that Romney needed help to win this, darling this just started. Put it where it's supposed to be. And anyone with half a brain knows this is backstabbing bu--s---. And it is in key states, it's not here in Chicago, or Rockford Ill, it's where most Black people live, Fla., Penn., etc... Swing States...
I remember when I was a kid and played different games with different people, there was always a few kids that no matter what games they played!.. they cheated someone that lies to him or herself tells you a lot about what kind of person they are..
Think about it. They lie to their selves
I am 64 years old, and all of this going back and forth, is because you have Republicans in key positions and they are changing what has not been a law never, this is racism, and yes I can say that, because I see the truth and this is to get Romney in office. Plain and simple, everyone knows right from wrong, but no one wants to be right by themselves, wolves at the trough. People got killed, spit on, beaten, bitten by dogs, jailed, and hosed with water hoses, for the right to be free, yet no one wants to fight for justice for all, if one goes down everybody goes down...
I watched the usual left wingnut panalists on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show Saturday try to make the same argument that Lionfish does regarding Pennsylvania's State Supreme Court hearing the arguments. One panalist stated that there are 1 million voters who will be shut out from voting in the state because they are poor minorities that can not afford the fees for obtaining Photo IDs, and no one bothered to correct her, or even challenge her on how her hysterical statement could possible by true.
6,000,000 voters went to the polls in Pennsylvania in the 2008 election. They might be lucky to see that number go to the polls this election, in November. Out of a total poplulation of perhaps 13,800.000 in the state, 28% are under the age of 18, and non voters. Of the remaining 9,500,000 take down 750,000 or do of legal immigrants that are non-citizens, illegal immigrants, and people with felony records, and you bringing the voting eligbile individuals in the state to 8,750,000. Now, subtrack from that the number of people who just don't bother to register as voters in their lifetimes, and maybe you get to 8,000,000 as the pool or adult age eligible voters to draw on to support your candidate of choice. Now are you trying to tell the good folks on national cable news on a Saturday morning with a straight face that 1 out of 8 people that are in the pool of voters don't have one of the appropriate and approved photo IDs that are needed to do any form of business such as opening a bank account, cashing a check, going into a court house or city hall, or state or federal building to conduct business, drive a vehicle, or apply for any of the huge majority of government assistance programs? That is hysteria, pure and simple.