Pennsylvania Voter ID Law : God Himself shakes His head at the stupidity

Although one can get around this stupid law by filling out an absentee ballot (instructions and link to download a ballot) the law is still expected to depress voting (Metropolis). It is estimated that only one in three PA residents know about the law and its requirements (2 Political Junkies). As many as nine counties lack the photo equipment necessary to issue the IDs (The Pennsylvania Progressive). A plaintiff in the ACLU case against the law, a lawyer and former prosecutor, is unable to get the required I.D. because of a childhood nickname and resulting bureaucratic nonsense (Inquirer) The state court is expected to issue its decision on challenge to the ID law this week, and then appeals will follow (The Pennsylvania Progressive). And given a recent study finding that there have been oh about zero cases of in-person fraud, ever, we have absolutely no need for any of this nonsense (Inquirer).

PA Voter ID Law sucks ass, natch

So, it's one thing to know that the ID Law is sorta Corbett's message to drop dead if you support Obama, but it's another to look at Technically Philly's breakdown of a map that shows that in North and West Philly, less than 50% of the residents have DOT ID.  The AFL-CIO estimates the number of Pennsylvania residents without ID to be at 1.6 million (The Pennsylvania Progressive). Of course, this law affects low-income elderly and minorities the most (Inquirer).  The Pennsylvania Policy and Budget Center conducted surveys that found that the DOT is understaffed and otherwise ill-equipped to provide people with the ID needed to vote (Inquirer). The Department of Justice is investigating this effort to be just a fucking hick state on the grounds that the various fees involved in getting the ID amount to a poll tax (The Pennsylvania Progressive). The Inquirer addresses some of the legal questions involved in ongoing and potential legal challenges to the law, including the fact that the DOJ has a harder job if it brings suit against PA than it would challenging something in the more more typically racist states that are covered by the Voting Rights Act.  Some nice news is that absentee ballots may be an end-run around the law (Inquirer).

Sorry for the anger.  I need to go camping.