Pennsylvania Voter ID On Hold For November

A Pennsylvania judge halted the full implementation the state’s highly controversial Voter ID law, meaning that voters across the state will not have to show ID when they go the polls next month to cast their votes.

Voters will still be asked to present IDs at the polls, but thanks to the ruling, those without IDs will be able to cast a regular ballot in November, rather than the provisional they would have been forced to cast before the ruling. While the long-term fate of the law is yet to be resolved, this ruling will bring some relief and peace of mind to those fighting against it. As a result, opponents of the law are calling it a partial victory.

Penda D. Hair, co-director of Advancement Project expressed her concern, saying: “While we’re happy that voters in Pennsylvania will not be turned away if they do not have an ID, we are concerned that the ruling will allow election workers to ask for ID at the polls and this could cause confusion.”

College students were one of the groups that would have been especially impacted by the law. The law created strict requirements on which student IDs were valid for voting and IDs issued by several Pennsylvania colleges and universities did not meet those requirements.

Tuesday’s ruling ensures that no college student will be denied the right to vote. Now it’s just a matter of educating Pennsylvania voters about the change.

See the original article here on Pushback.org, the blog of Campus Progress Action

Abraham White is a communications associate at Campus Progress. Follow him on Twitter @abwhite7.

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