Pennsylvania voter ID law struck down

Pennsylvania’s voter ID law, among the nation’s most stringent, was struck down Friday morning by a state judge.

Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard L. McGinley ruled that the law, requiring almost all voters to present photo identification prior to voting, was an unreasonable burden on voters.

PA used to use lever machines until 2006. Not only were they less susceptible to fraud but they were more fun.

In the relatively few Republican-leaning districts in Philly, union goons would just come in with a dolly and load whole machines up and wheel 'em out! Or they would wheel "pre-voted" machines in and unload them in front of the uncomplaining election judges.

I’m all for Governor Corbett emulating Obama on this one:

Governor: Use your “pen and phone” and issue an Executive Order, as Governor of the State, and uphold state law, passed by the people of the state on the order of over 70%.

I’ll note this...a state can rig up a voter ID for state elections, and there’s not much that a federal judge can say. But this puts you into a unique voting register deal....folks who are on the federal-voting register and folks on a state-voting register.

Several states are eyeballing this idea of mandating limits strictly that would affect state ballots only. I think when a state can show it will pay for folks who can’t afford the state ID card...then there’s virtually little the federal gov’t can say...at least for state or local elections.

The bigger fish to fry...at least in my humble opinion...is to totally dump the voter registry after each major election and keep it active for only twelve months. Dead folks get dropped off...as would folks who move out of the district. This would keep more folks honest. Adding a tax statement onto the bottom of voter registration....a $5,000 tax if you are discovered as a dual-voter for any other county or state...would also discourage a number of folks from doing stupid or illegal stuff.

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