Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Ads Telling Ex-Cons to Vote Should Have Run | Courthouse News Service

The Pittsburgh Port Authority discriminated against public interest groups by blocking an advertising campaign that would inform felons of their right to vote in Pennsylvania upon release from prison, the 3rd Circuit ruled. The groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Pittsburgh League of Young Voters Education Fund, wanted to run an advertisement campaign that would educate former prisoners about their voting rights.

In contrast to some other states, Pennsylvania allows former offenders to vote after they leave prison. Allegheny County Port Authority sales director Anthony Hickton and in-house counsel Chris Hess refused to run the ads on its buses, citing an advertising policy against "noncommercial" ads. When the officials "refused to budge," in the words of the opinion, the advocates filed suit under the First Amendment's free-speech clause.

After a five-day bench trial, U.S. District Judge Terrence McVerry said the Port Authority had violated the coalition's free-speech rights since other groups freely ran noncommercial ads on local buses.

Pennsylvania: Amish can vote without picture ID under proposed PA Voter ID bill – but face extra regulatory hurdles | TriValley Central

Amish voters in Pennsylvania would be included in a requirement to show government-issued identification in each election under legislation approved by the state House last week, but they could get an exemption from the requirement for a photo on the ID card.

Lawmakers said that Plain sect voters would be able to get a religious exemption from the provision requiring a photograph on identification cards.

But to do so, they would have to clear more regulatory hurdles than the average voter, because getting such a card involves providing the state Department of Transportation with a statement of their beliefs signed by their church district’s bishop.

Pennsylvania: Controversy over Voter ID Bill Hits Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Jewish Voice

If Pennsylvania signs a contentious new bill into law, the process of voting is about to become very difficult for over 700,000 of the state's residents. On June 24, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed the controversial voter ID proposition also known as House Bill 934.

House Republicans had forced the vote on the bill, which, if passed by the Senate, could potentially disenfranchise about 700,000 otherwise eligible Pennsylvanians.

House Bill 934 would require all voters to show a valid, unexpired photo identification to prove citizenship.

Pennsylvania: Bill passes requiring ID at Pennsylvania voting booths | delcotimes.com

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved a bill late Thursday night that would require all Pennsylvanians to show an official photo identification card every time they vote at the polls.

House Bill 934 – known as the Pennsylvania Voter Identification Protection Act – was introduced by state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, earlier this year. Metcalfe said his bill would prevent voter fraud, including impersonation at the polls, fictitious registrations, double-voting, and voting by illegal immigrants.

… Critics of the bill, including state Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164, of Upper Darby, have argued it wastes taxpayer money and makes it more difficult for senior citizens and people with disabilities to vote.

Pennsylvania: Voter ID law would cause extra red tape for Amish | The Times Leader

Amish voters in Pennsylvania would be included in a requirement to show government-issued identification in each election under legislation approved by the state House last week, but they could get an exemption from the requirement for a photo on the ID card.

Lawmakers tell the (Lancaster) Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era that Plain sect voters would be able to get a religious exemption from the provision requiring a photograph on ID cards. But to do so, they will have to clear more regulatory hurdles than the average voter, since getting such a card involves providing PennDOT with a statement of their beliefs signed by their church district’s bishop.

Rep. John Lawrence, R-Chester, who wrote the bill’s exemption provisions, said “They have to show a state-issued ID just like other voters. They’re not getting a pass.”

Pennsylvania: Voter ID bill is praised, panned in Pennsylvania | The Times Leader

On a near-party line vote, the state House of Representatives approved a Republican-backed bill late Thursday night that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls. The bill now moves to the Republican-controlled state Senate for consideration.

The 108-88 vote saw all but one Republican who was present vote in favor of House Bill 934. All 87 Democrats present for the vote voted against the measure. Rep. Chris Ross, R-Unionville, was the lone dissenting Republican.

Some Democratic representatives serving portions of Luzerne County blasted the partisan vote and called the bill unnecessary. “This is a solution in search of a problem,” said Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre. He noted that since 2004, 20 million votes have been cast in Pennsylvania and six people have been arrested for voter fraud.

Pennsylvania: State House passes bill to require ID to vote | Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The state House signed off on a voter identification bill Thursday after nearly 10 hours of sharply partisan floor debate over three days, sending the legislation to the Senate for consideration.

House members voted 108-88 to pass the divisive bill, which would require most voters to show photo ID before casting a ballot. Sponsor Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, said the measure is necessary to cut down on "significant voter fraud plaguing Pennsylvania's elections."

No Democrats voted to support the bill, unsuccessfully challenging its constitutionality more than five times during floor debate. They warned that enacting the legislation would cost tens of millions of dollars on a problem that doesn't exist and would shut out thousands of eligible voters who lack proper ID.

Pennsylvania: Voter ID bill nears Pennsylvania House vote, after Republicans defeat string of Democratic amendments | Daily Journal

A Republican proposal to make Pennsylvania voters produce government-issued photo identification at the polls moved a step from a final vote Tuesday in the state House with the defeat of a succession of proposed Democratic amendments.

Majority Republicans used sheer numbers and parliamentary maneuvers to turn aside proposed exemptions for victims of domestic violence or people with mental and physical disabilities, to have voting information printed in Spanish, or to provide additional information to voters about the change in law.

It was the second straight day the House's floor action was dominated by the voter ID bill, promoted by its supporters as a way to help ensure the integrity of the voting process in the state.

Pennsylvania: Voter ID bill nears final vote in Pennsylvania House | Connecticut Post/AP

A Republican proposal to make Pennsylvania voters produce government-issued photo identification at the polls moved a step from a final vote Tuesday in the state House with the defeat of a succession of proposed Democratic amendments.

Majority Republicans used sheer numbers and parliamentary maneuvers to turn aside proposed exemptions for victims of domestic violence or people with mental and physical disabilities, to have voting information printed in Spanish, or to provide additional information to voters about the change in law.

It was the second straight day the House's floor action was dominated by the voter ID bill, promoted by its supporters as a way to help ensure the integrity of the voting process in the state. Democrats have argued there is no evidence the state has a significant problem with voting fraud, and warned the bill would needlessly impose a new barrier to voters.

Pennsylvania: House moves toward bill to require voter ID | Philadelphia Inquirer

With a controversial voter identification bill set for approval by the Pennsylvania House, Democrats and advocacy groups from Philadelphia and around the state voiced concern that the move could end up hurting voter turnout.

House Democrats and Republicans debated the legislation for more than seven hours Monday and Tuesday. With a Republican majority in the House, the bill passed a key hurdle Tuesday night and is expected to win final approval as early as Wednesday and be sent to the Senate. The action reflects a national trend - spurred by conservatives who won office in the 2010 midterm election - toward stricter election laws.

Editorials: Dems, GOP, Each See Upper Hand in Voter ID Debate | PoliticsPA

It’s been put off for this week, but when lawmakers return from recess they’ll likely take up debate on a law requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls. We took a look at arguments for and against the bill when it was introduced. Today, we take a look at the politics.

Each party is digging in, and each sees itself with the upper hand in the battle for public opinion.

The measure, introduced by State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe and most popular among conservatives and tea partiers, aims to tackle voter fraud. Proponents say the bill would eliminate voting by people not registered, people voting multiple times, illegal immigrants voting and most of the horror stories they hear about elections in inner-city Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania: South Greensburg PA councilwoman refuses to concede primary | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

South Greensburg Councilwoman Linda Iezzi on Wednesday refused to concede in her race to secure one of two Democratic nominations for Westmoreland County commissioner. "I have to talk to my lawyer," Iezzi said as she weighed a potential recount of votes cast in the May 17 primary.

The county Elections Board yesterday preliminarily certified the results of the race, declaring incumbent Commissioner Ted Kopas of Hempfield and Mt. Pleasant Mayor Gerald Lucia as winners of the Democratic primary for county commissioner. Lucia, the long-time mayor of Mt. Pleasant Borough and its fire chief, finished 74 votes ahead of Iezzi.

Pennsylvania: After Recount, Boockvar Wins Commonwealth Court Primary

Bucks County lawyer Kathryn Boockvar was confirmed as the winner of the Democratic Commonwealth Court primary on Wednesday following an automatic recount. Boockvar beat Pittsburgh attorney Barbara Behrend Ernsberger by a margin of 0.3 percent, getting 311,732 votes to Ernsberger's 309,680. Boockvar will now face Republican and fellow Bucks County attorney Anne Covey in the general election this fall.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Carol Aichele ordered the recount last month pursuant to Act 97 of 2004, which mandates that the votes be re-tallied whenever the margin of victory is less than 0.5 percent.

K. Kevin Murphy, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of State, said last month that the estimated cost of a recount is nearly $500,000, based on $50 per ballot box multiplied by 9,248 districts.

Pennsylvania: Boockvar wins Pennsylvania court Democratic primary | 21 News

A statewide recount for a Commonwealth Court seat is over, and Doylestown lawyer Kathryn Boockvar is the winner in the Democratic primary. The Department of State announced Wednesday that Boockvar won by a little more than 2,000 votes out of 621,000 cast.

The results show Boockvar defeated Pittsburgh lawyer Barbara Behrend Ernsberger by nearly the same margin that was reported in unofficial results shortly after the primary.

Editorials: Can’t we do better? Voter ID legislation isn’t needed here | PennLive.com

If Pennsylvania has a voting issue, it is that not enough people go to the polls. It isn’t with people trying to pass themselves off as someone else at the voting booth.

Nonetheless, lawmakers are expected this week to rigorously debate legislation aimed at stopping voter fraud, which is not a problem, by requiring all registered voters to present valid photo ID when going to the polls.
Presently, an ID is required when you vote at a new voting precinct for the first time.

Pennsylvania: State House Poised To Act On Pennsylvania Voter ID Bill | Capitol Ideas

The State House Could Vote as soon as Wednesday on a deeply divisive proposal requiring voters to show photo identification before they cast their ballots.

In anticipation, the chamber's Democrats gathered in the Capitol Media Center this afternoon to speak against the legislation, which they say is intended to suppress Democratic turnout and disenfranchise urban voters, college students and senior citizens.

The bill is a "solution in search of a problem," Rep Babette Josephs of Philadelphia said of the legislation sponsored by House State Government Committee Chairman Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler.

Pennsylvania: Will Pennsylvania follow other GOP states on photo ID bill? | Associated Press

About once a month on average since the beginning of the year, Republican-controlled states have approved laws requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Kansas, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee — all have either adopted new requirements or expanded existing identification laws to specify photo IDs, pushing the total number of states that require them to 13. Sixteen other states require non-photo identification.

Pennsylvania — with its huge Republican gains in last year's midterm elections that included the governorship and control of both houses of the Legislature — is now poised to consider a photo ID bill. The House State Government Committee sent it to the floor and initial consideration could come as early as next week. Whether the state will join or buck the national trend is anyone's guess.

Pennsylvania: Montgomery County Pennsylvania elections board recommends suspending director, asst. director | pottsmerc.com

The Montgomery County Board of Elections recommended Voter Services’ director and assistant director be suspended without pay for misleading the Election Board about people mistakenly registered to vote.

On Wednesday, the Election Board voted 3-0 to recommend Director Joseph Passarella be suspended for two days without pay and Assistant Director Patricia Allen one day without pay.

Editorials: Push for voter ID is a threat to turnout in Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Inquirer

Last week’s relatively problem-free Pennsylvania primary was the latest to demonstrate that requiring photo identification at the polls is a solution in search of a problem. People simply don’t risk prison time to impersonate other voters. In 2008, more than six million Pennsylvanians went to the polls for the presidential election, and only four were charged with misrepresentation.

So why did the House State Government Committee recently approve a bill to require photo ID of Pennsylvania voters, a program that would cost more than $11 million to initiate and millions more to run each year?

The county clerks responsible for administering the state’s elections say the legislation is a bad idea.

Editorials: Opinion: Pennsylvania Voter ID proposal a waste of time | Centre Daily Times

Boss Tweed likely would have had a good chuckle over proposals in Pennsylvania to require every person casting an election ballot to present photo identification. The legendary New York City political boss knew a thing or two about fraud and political smokescreens: two things at play in regard to the legislation being considered in the state House.

Reducing voter fraud at the ballot box is supposedly the main concept behind this idea. If every voter has to produce a photo issued by the state of Pennsylvania or the federal government — don’t you just feel better already — there will be no doubt the voter is who he or she says they are.

Pennsylvania: Montgomery County Pennsylvania elections chief: Hundreds may have voted unregistered in 2008 | Philly.com

Hundreds of unregistered Montgomery County residents may have been allowed to cast ballots in the 2008 presidential election, the county’s chief election official said Wednesday.

And as Voter Services Director Joseph Passarella described it, that decision, made by a low-level staffer, eventually morphed into an unwritten policy that mistakenly added more than 3,000 people to the county’s voter rolls over the next three years.

Pennsylvania: Costly recount possible in Pennsylvania judicial race | NewsWorks

The Democratic race for Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge could be headed for a recount. The decision on whether to tally the votes again will be made next week, when counties submit official returns to the Department of State.

A total of 603,801 Democratic voters supported either Kathryn Boockvar or Barbara Ernsberger Tuesday. Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele explained just how slim Boockvar’s unofficial 50.3 to 49.8 percent lead is. “Right now, as of about an hour ago, the difference between the two candidates was 2,794 votes, which is within the half of the 1 percent,” she said.

Pennsylvania: Machine problems plague Interboro primary elections (Delaware County) – delcotimes.com

“Until we find out the results of that one machine, I’d rather not comment,” said Kaelin, last night.

In Tuesday’s primary, a voting machine malfunction left a cliff hanger in Glenolden which may not be resolved until sometime today at the earliest, according to officials. Eight candidates were competing for four four year seats on Interboro School Board.

It is unclear if long-time incumbent John Kaelin was defeated by a newcomer.

Pennsylvania: Taxpayers will cover costs of IDs under proposed Pennsylvania voting law | dailylocal.com

An effort to fight voting fraud could cost state taxpayers millions, though it’s a price some lawmakers are willing to pay. New requirements intended to cut down on fraudulent voters were passed by the House State Government Committee on Monday morning and will head to the House for a final vote. The bill would require voters to show official photo identification each time they go to their polling place to cast a ballot. Voters now have to provide identification only the first time they vote at a specific polling place.

The new requirement would not take effect until the primary elections in the spring of 2012, unless there is a special election scheduled for earlier in 2012.

Pennsylvania: Measure to require voter ID at polling places moves ahead in Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Post Gazette

A measure that would require voters to show photo identification when they go to cast their ballot now awaits consideration by the state House of Representatives, following a lengthy committee debate this morning.

The bill from Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry and chair of the State Government Committee, passed the panel on a party-lines vote of 15-9. Under the proposal, voters would be required to show a photo identification card issued by either the state or federal government. Pennsylvania voters currently are only required to show an ID during their first time at a polling site.

Pennsylvania: Westmoreland buys more voting machines – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Westmoreland County Election Bureau officials are trying to avoid a repeat of the long lines of voters who waited to cast ballots in the last presidential election. So the county has purchased 21 additional touch-screen computer voting machines to ease the crush of voters in the largest precincts.

“In the larger elections, such as a presidential race, I feel we need more machines in some of our larger precincts,” said bureau Director Jim Montini.

Pennsylvania: Lancaster County Pennsylvania Board of Elections Moves to Bar Media from Vote Count | Lancaster Online

Last Wednesday, the Lancaster County Board of Elections approved a policy designed to remove media members from the county’s election center on election night and move them to an adjacent building.

The policy is intended to provide more space for voting materials in the warehouse at Burle Industries business park that serves as the county’s elections center, and provide reporters with an area in which they can work until all results are tabulated. Any change in election procedures is bound to arouse media concerns.