The law should stand. Dems are using this as an excuse for lazy people who want everything for nothing. The only people who don't have id's are those who don't want to pay taxes. They work under the table and expect hard working Americans to pay their way. If they had to show an id to get food from shelters or a place to lay their head, they would get an id. And why don't they have one anyway?

How does one get to be of voting age and never had need of ID? No job, never cashed a check, never drove, no bank account, never sent kids to school.....just how does one accomplish that and STILL have an overwhelming need to vote to the point your making court cases out of the law? BTW, don't you have to show ID to register to vote?

Having a picture ID has nothing to do with paying taxes and working for money under the table...but if your argument was legitimate...who's getting the cheap labor and avoiding paying the employer's share of taxes? Hmm..please THINK before you comment;-)

Beth I know of a place that pays their employees under the table, still those people drive cars, so they must have a driver licence right? Maybe you never leave your house? In these times of Terroristic threats all people should have Picture ID's. Maybe we should have the schools get all children State ID's, Armstrong middle school in the 70's when i went to school in Bensalem had all the children get SS#'s so how hard would it be to do that? This isnt a big deal,my mother in law is 75 and she still has her licence. People need to stop making a big deal out of nothing, now go get a picture ID you lazy people!!!!

And I think people had ample time to do so, "That ruling was appealed by the plaintiffs, who argue the new law — passed in March — did not give voters enough time to comply with burden of obtaining the necessary photo identification."

Here's what I say,
6 months isn't enough time to get a state ID? People are to stinking lazy!!!!

anyone who is a citizen of this country is entitled to vote. When the republicans get the hairbrained crazy notion to insist on a "official" i.d. GOD HELP AMERICA

People may have a picture ID for other reason. One problem with that ID may be no expiration date which is required. The other problem just recently mentioned was the people who use absentee ballots-no provisions for picture ID were address at the time the law was passed.

I find it quite ironic that we have an issue with a PA Supreme Court Justice unable to cast a decision on the voter I.D. law for committing fraud. Seems the Republicans have a more serious problem with their own elected officials, than with voters committing fraud.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/31/john-perzel-corruption_n_943659.html
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/05/18/corruption-charges-announced-against-pa-supreme-court-justice-joan-orie-melvin/
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/06/ex-rep_stephen_stetlers_convic.html
http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/node/6934/pennsylvania-%E2%80%93-land-political-corruption-state-supreme-court-justice-now-charged-montgomer
http://www.yorkblog.com/yorktownsquare/2012/06/27/steve-stetler-political-corruption-case-is-a-trial-that-history-will-remember/
Seems Governor Corbett may want to clean up his own party before he disenfranchises thousands of voter.

I don't think anybody should call people names and have such assumptions about people who do not have an ID. I for example do not have an ID right now. I have epilepsy and had a seizure. I had to mail in my drivers license for a 6 month suspension. Now I have to get an ID but have to find some way to get it without being able to drive and no public transportation near me. My fiance works a lot and so does everybody else I know. It is hard to find a time where someone can take me and the election is coming up.

My question: Why has no one proposed a voter-ID plan with an 8-12 year rollout period? Voting is an IMPORTANT right, and if the effort to stop a dozen fraudulent voters is going to disenfranchise countless legitimate voters, that means the approach is WRONG.

If stopping voter fraud is as important as ensuring that legitimate voters are able to vote, then we need a voter-ID system with a phased, gradual roll-out. So by the time it goes fully into effect, we know for certain that all legitimate voters have the proper identification.

Unless you are engaging in partisan b.s., then there is absolutely no need to rush this into effect before the upcoming election.

Do it, but do it RIGHT.

I just mailed in my license so I didn't have since March. Why are you asking who's fault it is? I'm not blaming anyone, that is just how it works when you have a seizure the doctors have to report it. Every seizure is an automatic six months and mail in of your license.

I'm just saying its not fair to jump to conclusions about people. You don't know what kind of situation people are in. People work Saturdays too! I don't disagree about needing an ID. I disagree with it being such a short time span which it is. Such a big change like this should be given more time. I don't understand why they are pushing it so much but don't have any data that show that there is a problem with voter fraud to warrant such a quick change.

70% of likley voters want voterid

Seventy percent (70%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to cast their ballot.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/december_2011/69_say_photo_id_voting_laws_are_not_discriminatory

I can not see a single reason to not want this law passed. Everyone that is against voter I.D. should just stay home on Election day but I bet you a Dime to a Donut they can get it fast to go to a casino. This is not a Democrat or a republican matter, It is a Matter of Justice. as Voter Fraud has been going on for Decades.

Can any cite the examples of rampant voter fraud that has apparently been going on? Id or no id there is a political agenda to this law. To enact it just prior to an election instead of years before smacks of election tactic in iran or russia not the us

Huh? say what! I quote Mr. Gersch statement, "The vice is not in requiring photo identification, the vice is in requiring photo identification that not everyone has or has the ability to obtain,” has the ability to obtain? call your afflilated party - they will pick you up and help you to obtain proper ID. Your Committee person will PICK you up and will help you to obtain proper ID. How were all of you allowed to vote in the past without proper ID? I have been Judge of Elections now for quite some years, and if you did NOT have proper ID, then I asked you to fill out a Provisional Ballot. So do not SIT there, and tell me, YOU can't vote. EIther have proper ID, or be prepared to fill out a provisional ballot at the polls. AND this statement, "Seventy percent (70%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to cast their ballot." That survey is only 70% of the people who ANSWERED that phone call - NOT 70% of the US Voters. And you all have had amble time, to get a photo ID. There are other forms of acceptable ID's other than a driver license. Stop the crying! If you want to truly vote - then you will make sure you have ID.

I will admit that the drive from the republicans is because this will benefit them more. And if it benefited democrats more, they would drive it. Both sides will do whatever they can to win the election. I would argue that it is flat out bribery to suggest that if you vote for the democrats, they will tax the top 1% (and actually, it is more like the top 3%) of this country more - you know to make them pay their "fair share". On average, the top 1% pays 29% while those making between $25K and $100K pay 15-20%.
So promise the majority that if they elect you, you will tax the other people more. Who would people with blue eyes vote for if the president promised to tax those with brown eyes at a higher rate?
If democrats had any integrity or self respect, they would support no change in current tax rates or they would support going back to their other savior in chief's tax rates - Clinton. But that would mean the people they are trying to bribe would also have to pay a little more.

Anything to win - right!

BTW - at the last Presidential election, I was yelled at, spit on, called dirty names, cause some did NOT have a proper ID with them, and they refused to do a Provisional Ballot. This Presidential election, we will be having the police on hand for any incidents like this. As Judge of Elections, I do have legal right to have you removed from the polls.

Not a good point cjp, your wrong, when would you like the law to go into effect the day after the election this year? Or maybe we should wait another 4 years then you can make the same stupid point. It was passed in March is nobody reading the freekin article? Its really about people in the inner cities and for that matter all over the country voting with other peoples name that are dead, You cant get a bank account without ID so whats the dam problem with proving who you are to vote? Jesus Christ I give you an exception ok? This was never a political move, its about proving who you are. Maybe we should all be implanted with chips, at birth, with all our info on it and we can be scanned just like Hitler did with the Jews only he didn't have scanner wands, is that what you all want?

James your right!!! The point is these people all had their whole lazy azz lives to get some form of ID. And your last point, in the last election the Dems got everyone,even all the young and old out to vote, so why cant they get them out to get the ID"s?

The law is being rolled out too close to the election. If it is to stay, it should be AFTER the election. That way, people have enough time to get photo id's and it removes some of the assumption that republicans are doing this to increase their chances (which, obviously, they are).

The article says thousands of people would not be able to vote, who are they? Who is it that is able to vote but cannot get an ID by November?

The number of valid voters who will be disenfranchised this November - whether it's 750,000 or only 750... Is it safe to assume that this number will be significantly LESS than the pre-2008 number of falsely submitted ballots?

71 DMV offices that are providing IDs (got this number from an article on foxnews.com so not sure how accurate it is because it's secondhand info). Six months to get an id. Most of those offices are only open 5 days/week, so that's approximately 120 days. 750,000 people. If my math is correct that means each location would have had to process 88 IDs/day, in addition to all the other services they provide. Anybody who's dealt with these offices knows that this doesn't seem very feasible. I have no problem with the ID. The problem, to me, is the amount of time they're giving people to get it. Why not implement this for the mid-term elections in 2014?

OMG - people stop this Democrat and Republican bickering - this is not a political agenda! this is all about having the proper ID to vote. I do not care if you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or whatever! this is about having a proper ID, not about politics! After the last Presidential election, the election office called the Judge of Elections in each district, and asked what the main concern was - the main concern was that people coming into vote did NOT have ID, and we were forced to do a Provisional Ballot, which takes alot of time and patience. So you really want to put the blame on anyone - put the blame on the Judge of Elections - our job is not some cushy little job - we are on our feet from 6 am till almost midnight.

you all had six months to get a proper ID, and you all have been given tools to go GET that ID - and you all have been given options as to what to use for a proper ID. If you failed to get a proper ID - no matter what YOUR political party is - then as far as I am concerned and in my own personal opinion - YOU have no right to complain. With all the tv stations commercials, and the news conferences that has been going on for the last six months, you all have been well informed about having proper ID. The deadline to register to vote is October 9th - so if you are NOT a registered voter, please get in contact with your Committee person or call the Election Office, they will mail/give you a form to fill out and mail in. ALL photo ID's must be current and contain an EXPIRATION DATE, the name of the voter, and the name must conform to the name printed in the poll book. Concerning proper ID's - the approved ID's will be, valid Passports, IDs issued by the Federal government, US Military ID, employee ID issued by the a Federal, Pennsylvania, County or Municipal government , Photo ID cards issued from an accredited public or private PA college or university, Photo ID cards issued by a PA care facility, including long term care facitilies, assisted living residences or personal care homes.

As Judge of Elections, I know first hand about fraud. In the past six years, I have had to ask quite a few voters who came in without proper ID, to do a Provisional Ballot. It HAD nothing to do with suppressing votes for one party or another. It is to make my job and other Judges job much easier, if everyone had proper ID to vote. Do you how long it takes for someone to do a Provisional Ballot? Do you know how long it takes for that Provisional Ballot to be investigated as valid and to be counted as a vote? But if you want to continue to use the political party excuse, then so be it - it is your opinion. I am, in my own opinion, stating that this is NOT a political party agenda. This is why I am NOT a Democrat nor a Republican.

by the way - I vote for the person, not for a political party.

In the past, I have asked ALL voters to have their ID's out and ready, before they approached the sign in sheets. There have been signs outside the building and inside the building asking to have your ID ready. Pack a lunch? do you know we work right thru breakfast, lunch and dinner? do you know while everyone is home at night after voting, watching TV or sleeping - we are shutting down the machines, doing the paperwork, counting the tapes, and THEN driving to the election office to hand in the voting tapes from the machines - standing in long lines. Oh - and if we forget to do something, then we are taking in a little room, to go over the tapes and paperwork with the officials. Our day ends at around 11 pm or later on Election Days. All we are asking to make the long lines go smoothly and without any hassles, is to have proper ID. Cause I can guarantee you this, if you do not and you hold up the voting line - there will be voters who have proper ID behind you complaining.