Statement of Larry Frankel, Legislative Director, ACLU of Pennsylvania The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania commends Governor Ed Rendell for his veto of House Bill 1318. We congratulate him on listening to the people of Pennsylvania and protecting everyone’s constitutional right to vote.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania is proud to stand with the other organizations that have a distinguished history of fighting for non-partisan election reform who called on the Governor to veto this legislation. These groups opposing the burdensome voter identification provisions and other barriers to voting include the Committee of Seventy, Common Cause of Pennsylvania, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches.
We are also proud to work with groups that represent minorities, women, the poor, homeless voters, and disabled voters who also oppose House Bill 1318. They include ACORN Pennsylvania, Black Political Empowerment Project, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Disabilities Law Project, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, NAACP, Project H.O.M.E. and Women Vote PA.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania recognizes that voter ID will unfairly impair voting rights and do very little to prevent the kinds of fraud that actually occur on Election Day. Those who have taken a look at the issue of voter ID from a truly nonpartisan perspective have found that there is virtually no evidence of fraud that would justify putting up this kind of impediment to voting. We have, however, seen how ID provisions in other states have adversely impacted on minorities, senior citizens, people with disabilities, homeless people, and victims of domestic violence.
Like all of the other groups that oppose voter ID, we want real election reform that is supported by both parties and by all of the nonpartisan organizations that work on election reform. We want to see legislation that makes it easier for people to vote and have their votes properly counted. We do not want to see further unnecessary barriers to voting.
Governor Rendell is to be commended for responding to the views of people who elected him by protecting the right to vote for thousands of Pennsylvanians.
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