Appeal for Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Short on Time

image
Published: 17 Aug, 2012
1 min read
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson upheld the state's contested Voter ID law this week.

Republican backers of Pennsylvania’s Voter ID Law are claiming victory in a court battle over a new photo id requirement that was upheld earlier this week, while multiple voter rights groups and registered voters filed an appeal against the ruling on Thursday.

The appeal will be tricky to maneuver. Four votes by Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices will be required to overturn the ruling.

Currently, the justices are made up of three Republicans and three Democrats. One justice is currently suspended, leaving the state’s Supreme Court with just six members. If members stick to party lines, it will result in a tie and leave the law upheld.

A Pennsylvania judge ruled Wednesday that the law, which requires all residents to show a valid photo ID in order to vote, will go into full effect on November 6.

In his ruling, Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson said the challengers of the law failed to prove that it violates the state’s constitution.

He said in his opinion, “the voter ID requirement is a reasonable, non-discriminatory, non-severe burden when viewed in the broader context of the widespread use of photo ID in daily life”.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s election officials have until next week to supply the U.S. Department of Justice with information regarding the law. The department has attempted to block other states’ voted ID laws, and hopes to do the same with Pennsylvania’s.

Due to the case’s timing, it looks like Pennsylvania voters will more than likely be showing their photo ID at the polls this November. The future of the law beyond November, however, is uncertain. Judge Simpson’s ruling simply rejected an injunction to halt the law from taking immediate effect.

IVP Donate

You Might Also Like

Trump sitting in the oval office with a piece of paper with a cannabis leaf on his desk.
Is Trump About to Outflank Democrats on Cannabis? Progressives Sound the Alarm
As President Donald Trump signals renewed interest in reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III, a policy goal long championed by liberals and libertarians, the reaction among some partisan progressive advocates is not celebration, but concern....
08 Dec, 2025
-
5 min read
Malibu, California.
From the Palisades to Simi Valley, Independent Voters Poised to Decide the Fight to Replace Jacqui Irwin
The coastline that defines California’s mythology begins here. From Malibu’s winding cliffs to the leafy streets of Brentwood and Bel Air, through Topanga Canyon and into the valleys of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and Thousand Oaks, the 42nd Assembly District holds some of the most photographed, most coveted, and most challenged terrain in the state. ...
10 Dec, 2025
-
6 min read
Ranked choice voting
Ranked Choice for Every Voter? New Bill Would Transform Every Congressional Election by 2030
As voters brace for what is expected to be a chaotic and divisive midterm election cycle, U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (Md.), Don Beyer (Va.), and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (Vt.) have re-introduced legislation that would require ranked choice voting (RCV) for all congressional primaries and general elections beginning in 2030....
10 Dec, 2025
-
3 min read