PITTSBURG POST-GAZETTE: … The photo ID requirements suspended for last week’s election remain in place for the state’s May 21 primary, when Pittsburgh’s mayor and other local and judicial offices will be on the ballot, and legal challenges to the ID law remain on the docket, too. Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson, who temporarily stayed enforcement of the requirements Oct. 2, will hold a status conference Dec. 13 on efforts to permanently block them.
“Our position is this law is not constitutional and cannot be constitutional without some legislative fixes,” said Witold Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.
The ACLU and other challengers contend the state has still not done enough to ensure all voters were afforded free IDs for voting, and argue more voters (especially young ones) will come on the rolls in future years to swell the numbers without acceptable identification. Currently PennDOT IDs, U.S. passports and other IDs with expiration dates from governments, the military, state-affiliated nursing homes and colleges are acceptable, but challengers want others such as veteran and welfare cards to be allowed… (more)
