Casey to Gov: Don't Appeal Voter ID Ruling

Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is calling on the Corbett Administration to drop its pursuit of implementing the state’s controversial voter identification law after a judge reaffirmed it is unconstitutional.

Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard McGinley on Monday rejected the state's motion to reinstate the law. A 30-day appeal period is now underway.

In a letter to the governor, Casey urged the state to end its pursuit of implementing the voter identification law, which he says could prevent thousands of Pennsylvanians from voting.

“The court has exposed so called Voter ID for what it really is: a scheme that could prevent thousands of Pennsylvanians from exercising their right to vote,” Senator Casey said in the letter. “Implementing Voter ID would prevent tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians from exercising their right to vote, including elderly Pennsylvanians who’ve fought in our wars and worked to make our country safe. It’s time for these appeals to end.”

In January, Judge McGinley ruled that the law “unreasonably burdens the right to vote” guaranteed by the state constitution.

He reaffirmed that ruling Monday, noting that the law failed to provide liberal access to state-issued identification that would satisfy the law’s requirements. 

“Equal access to the ballot is a bedrock principle of our nation that must not be violated. Historically, the Commonwealth has always moved to expand and encourage voting by our citizens. This Voter ID law would reverse much of the progress we’ve made over the years. I urge you not to appeal this decision, but to work to ensure that measures designed to protect the electoral process encourage participation and access as a critical part of that protection,” Casey wrote to the governor.