Governor Rendell of PA tries to Block Voter Reforms

[truthfinder9]

As you may know, Governor Rendell has announced his intention to veto the Voter Protection Act HB 1318 a bill designed to help protect the voting rights of our men and women in uniform and to ensure that every vote counts, but counts only once.

Under the bill, overseas military ballots postmarked by the date of the election would be counted up to seven days following the election.  This will ensure that our armed forces serving overseas do not lose their right to vote due to delays in the transport of their ballot home.

The Voter Protection Act would also serve as a safeguard against vote fraud by instituting a voter ID requirement modeled after the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) a bill that passed the U.S. House 357-48 and the U.S. Senate 92-2.  Any one of the following forms of identification would count:

      PennDOT driver's license or non-driver ID, of which 92 percent of the voting population already possess;

      Any valid ID card (photo or non-photo) issued by state or federal government (including US passport);

      Valid student ID;

      Firearm permit;

      Current utility bill;

      Current Bank statement;

      Paycheck;

      Government (welfare) check;

      Voter registration card.

Prominent members of the Governor's own party supported these ID guidelines, including Pennsylvania Democratic Reps. Chaka Fattah, Robert Brady, Mike Doyle, Paul Kanjorski and Tim Holden.

The bill also provides that polling places be accessible to the disabled and free from violence or intimidation neither of which are currently included in Pennsylvania law.

It may not come as a surprise that Rendell would veto such a bill, since he was quoted in the Philadelphia City Paper in 1995 as saying that, "I don't think it (voter fraud) is immoral or grievous" and that, in 2004, the Department of Justice had to sue him to make sure that military votes would be counted.

Pennsylvanians across the state need to let Governor Rendell know that he couldn't be more wrong! There are several things that you can do to bring attention to this cause:

1. Call the Governor at 717-787-2500 or e-mail him and tell him how strongly you oppose his veto of the Voter Protection Act.
2. Write a letter to the editor for placement in your local paper.
3. Call your local talk radio station.

We need your help to get this important message out.  Below is an excellent summary and set of talking points to assist you in this regard.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Sincerely,

Eileen Melvin

 

 VOTER PROTECTION ACT: COMMON-SENSE

ELECTION REFORM FOR PENNSYLVANIA

Voter Protection Act Provisions:

Pennsylvania Voter Protection Act Represents Common Sense Election Reform Aimed At Ensuring That All Pennsylvanians Can Participate In Elections And Have Their Vote Fairly Counted. The Act adopts the specific reforms endorsed by the Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker.   

Voter Protection Act Includes Provisions To:

          Guarantee That Absentee Ballots Cast By Military Personnel Stationed Overseas Are Counted. During the 2004 election the US Department of Justice sued Pennsylvania for refusing to count the absentee ballots of military personnel serving overseas. The Voter Protection Act will amend state law to require that absentee ballots of the military postmarked on or before Election Day be counted.

 

          Ensure That Senior Citizens And Persons With Disabilities Have Access To The Polls. The Voter Protection Act will require that polls are located in public buildings accessible to senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

 

          Protect Voters And Volunteers From Intimidation And Harassment At The Polls. The Voter Protection Act protects voters and volunteers from intimidation and harassment well-documented during the 2004 election by moving polls out of bars, political offices and homes of elected officials to locations free of harassment and intimidation.

 

          Increase Public Confidence In Elections By Requiring Voters To Present Some Form Of Identification At The Polls. The Voter Protection Act follows the recommendation of the bipartisan Carter-Baker Commission to require that voters present ID at the polls and provides free ID to those who don't already have it. Voters without ID are able cast provisional ballots under the Act. The broadest possible range of photo and non-photo IDs are acceptable under the Voter Protection Act including:

 

      PennDOT driver's license or non-driver ID, of which 92 percent of the voting population already possess;

      Any valid ID card (photo or non-photo) issued by state or federal government (including US passport);

      Valid student ID;

      Firearm permit;

      Current utility bill;

      Current Bank statement;

      Paycheck;

      Government (welfare) check;

      Voter registration card. 

Voter Protection Act Is Product Of Bipartisan Compromise:

Responding To Democrats' Concerns, The Pennsylvania Legislature Dramatically Liberalized The Voter Protection Act's Identification Requirements And Removed Provisions Related To Voting By Felons Who Have Not Yet Completed Their Sentencing. The original version of the bill which required photo ID at the polls (the current version accepts a broad range of non-photo IDs, including utility bills and welfare checks) and included language on felon voting, passed with 29 votes from Democrats in the General Assembly.  

ID Requirement Has Bipartisan Support:

Bipartisan Carter-Baker Commission On Federal Election Reform, Co-Chaired By Former President Jimmy Carter And Former Secretary Of State James Baker, Endorsed ID Requirements In 2005. 

          Carter: ID Requirement "Would Not Restrict People From Voting. It Will Be Uniformly Applied Throughout The Country. And It Will Be Nondiscriminatory."

24 States Currently Require Identification At The Polls: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. 

Recent Winston Group Poll Found That Support For Voter ID Requirements Even Stronger Than Pennsylvania Voter Protection Act Transcends All Demographics In Pennsylvania: 

          Regardless Of Income, Pennsylvanians Strongly Support Photo ID. 78% of those with an income less than $15,000 per year and 83% of those with annual incomes between $30,000-$50,000 support requiring photo ID at the polls. 

          All Racial Groups Support Photo ID. 70% of African-Americans and 90% of Hispanics support requirement that voters present photo ID before voting.

          79% Of Self-Identified Democrats And 86% Of Self-Identified Republicans Support Photo ID Requirement. 89% of Pennsylvania women between 18 and 34 and 85% of women between 35 and 54 support requirement that voters present photo ID at the polls.

 

[mewzilla]

Fast Eddie's desperation is showing...

[Savage Beast]

Just when you think the Democrats have finally hit rock bottom, they manage to sink even lower.

[AbeKrieger]

Anything that insures that only an eligible voter who proves his/her identity is able to vote is ANATHEMA to Democrats and unions who routinely depend on fraud and "no-show" vote processing to ensure their candidates have a chance.

Stand outside a Philadelphia inner city polling place for a day and count actual voter turnout, then compare that with the numbers reported as having voted. Where you'll see maybe 15%-20% turnout in heavily minority districts, an unprecedented 90% turnout will be reported.

Why?

FRAUD. Liberal democrat fraud.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Gotta love the fact that back-to-back threads on Free Republic are titled:

Wolfennsohn warns of PA collapse

and

Governor Rendell of PA tries to block voter reforms

Of course, in some ways, the two PAs are interchangeable: voting reforms are needed in both places, and both are on the verge of collapse.

[layman]

Fat Eddie is going to have his hands full with Lynn Swan even without publicly supporting voter fraud by vetoing this bill.

[ol painless]

The welfare check should cover the 8% who don't have drivers licenses.