Voter ID bill taken off table

By Gary Weckselblatt, Intelligencer, March 24, 2009

The measure would have made it mandatory to show a government-issued photo ID to vote.

With mounting opposition from several groups, state Sen. Chuck McIlhinney announced Monday that he will put off action on a bill that would require voters to show photo ID in order to vote.

Senate Bill 514, sponsored by Sen. Jane Orie, R-40, of Allegheny and Butler counties, would make it mandatory to show a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, or two forms of another approved ID, one of which must have the person's photo. Currently, only first-time voters have to produce photo identification.

"Given the concerns that have been expressed on this legislation, I have decided to delay further action on this bill until we have an opportunity to thoroughly review and discuss this legislation to address many of these concerns," said McIlhinney, R-10, who represents parts of Bucks and Montgomery counties.

"The more I spoke with people, it became clear that maybe this does need a little more work."

Kathy Boockvar of the non-partisan Advancement Project, a national civil rights organization, was thrilled to hear of McIlhinney's decision.

"This is a huge credit to the hundreds if not thousands of Pennsylvanians across the state who wrote letters and e-mails and participated in the political and civic discourse that our government was founded on," she said. "I'm so proud of Pennsylvanians speaking out today.

"While I wish the bill had never been written, it's important to say Chuck McIlhinney and the committee are doing the right thing by listening to the voices of the people."

McIlhinney and Rob Wonderling, R-24, of Bucks and Montgomery counties, are co-sponsors of the bill.

"I believe Pennsylvanians need to feel secure that the vote they are making is fair and counted and that everyone else is playing by the same rules," Wonderling said in an e-mail before McIlhinney's decision. "However, I would support amendments to ensure that those who may not have photo identification would have the ability to obtain acceptable ID cards so citizens are not disenfranchised."

That was the chief concern of Boockvar.

If passed, she said the bill would infringe the voting rights of Pennsylvanians, particularly those among historically disenfranchised communities, including elderly, low-income, disabled and minority citizens who often do not possess these types of identification.

"Many people, including legislators, may not realize that as many as 25 percent of African Americans, 18 percent of senior citizens, and 15 percent of low-income Americans simply do not have the types of current photo ID required by this bill," Boockvar said.

After spending three years as a poll worker, Boockvar said there are so many different levels of protections the typical citizen may not be aware of that ensures the accuracy of the voting rolls.

"In terms of somebody walking into polling place to vote illegally, they gain one vote," she said. "It's not an enterprise. There are federal penalties, and then there are state penalties. It's just not happening. There's not an issue with impersonation voter fraud."

Voter fraud may include serving five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000, she said.

"I believe that the voting process in Pennsylvania should be beyond reproach, and I am committed to working to improve our election laws to give Pennsylvanians greater confidence in the electoral process," McIlhinney said.

Three years ago, a similar bill passed the Legislature and was vetoed by Gov. Ed Rendell. Back in February 2009, Rendell said nursing home residents and poorer voters might not be able to meet the ID requirements.

Last year Republican state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Butler County sponsored a bill to enact a voter ID law, but it didn't get any traction.

"This is another solution in search of a problem," Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo said of Orie's bill. "There's absolutely no evidence that this kind of legislation is necessary to protect the integrity of our election system. It will simply lead to less voter participation rather than more."

That concern was echoed by Tim Potts, co-founder and president of Democracy Rising, a government watchdog group.

"It appears to make it more difficult for people to vote, which is not a good thing," Potts said.

Potts also described photo identification as "unreliable."

"Some people don't photograph well," he said. "People wear glasses sometimes. Other times they don't. People change their hair color, their beards, their mustaches. + If there's no problem, let's spend time on other things.

"Something like voting machines with no paper trail. That's where fraud occurs."

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