Forty-seven years ago today, civil rights activists were beaten by Alabama state troopers as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their march from Selma to Montgomery.
The Pennsylvania Senate is expected to mark this seminal date in voting rights history by passing HB 934, a voter suppression bill that will require voters to show government-issued photo ID in order to vote.
Pennsylvania state Sen. Vincent Hughes wrote:
Under the guise of preventing voter fraud, this bill would actually disenfranchise many elderly and minority voters. It would suppress the right to vote for many Pennsylvanians by essentially making it harder to vote for individuals who do not have a photo ID.Many individuals do not have a photo ID because of the cost. Some elderly have stated that they do not have the proper documentation needed to obtain a photo ID.
During a conference call with reporters, state Sen. Daylin Leach blasted Republican claims of voter impersonation:
If I am wrong about any of those pieces of information, I am going to get busted for doing this and face federal prosecution with potentially years in prison. What do I gain? I gain one vote in an election.
Had enough? Then be part of the solution and make a pledge to help fund development of the Cost of Freedom Voter ID App.
UPDATE: The Pennsylvania Senate passed HB 934 by a vote of 26-23. The struggle continues.
