Addditional Information about PA Voter ID Bill -- House Bill 934
PLEASE CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR TODAY: Make sure he or she knows that House Bill 934 is an unnecessary, expensive, and un-democratic obstacle to voting rights. Visit http://bit.ly/Call2StopHB934 to find your PA Senator's name and State Capitol office number.
WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR STATE SENATOR OR HIS/HER STAFF PERSON: "I oppose House Bill 934 because it is unnecessary, it is a waste of taxpayer funds, and it will deprive citizens of their right to vote. Will the senator represent me by opposing the 'Voter ID Bill'?" (Be sure to thank the senator if he/she opposes the bill.)
OTHER POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT IF THE SENATOR IS UNDECIDED OR SUPPORTS HOUSE BILL 934:
• HB 934 will be expensive, and Pennsylvania doesn’t have money to spend on a new government program that just makes it harder to vote. Pennsylvania will incur costs in distributing the ID cards, in training for poll workers, and in public education to inform the public of the change in the law. The Pennsylvania Budget & Policy Center released a report last year demonstrating that HB 934 will cost more than $11 million to implement in the first year alone. Other states have found that the implementation of these laws increase the spending on elections by as much as 50%.
• HB 934 is unnecessary. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania opposes these bills because they have found no evidence that there is fraudulent voting in the state that showing a photo ID would solve. HB 934 is a government solution in search of a problem that DOESN’T EXIST in Pennsylvania. Voters are already required to provide proof of identity when they sign-in at their polling place and have their signature verified against their signature on file. All first-time voters are already required to provide proof of identity the first time they voter, but HB 934 extends the requirement to all voters and severely limits forms of acceptable ID.
• HB 934 will create disruption at the polls. HB 934 will require new procedures and create substantial new burdens on election administrators and poll workers. People unaware of the new law could be turned away at the polls or asked to vote a "provisional" ballot, which take more time to process on Election Day. A provisional ballot will require the voter to travel to the county courthouse within 6 days of the election and show a photo ID card then
• HB 934 will make it harder for senior citizens and people with disabilities to vote. Many seniors no longer drive or maintain up-to-date driver’s licenses and will be denied the right to vote because they lack this most common and acceptable form of voter ID.
• HB 934 will make it harder for young people to vote. Because students are mobile, many students are unlikely to have a driver’s license that reflects their current address and will be denied the right to vote under this law.
• HB 934 will disfranchise citizens who have the right to vote. The voter ID law is discriminatory against a significant number of eligible voters who do not have government-issued photo ID. Approximately 11% of U.S. citizens do not have government-issued photo ID, and they are disproportionately racial minorities, the elderly, and the working poor. Approximately 25% of adult African-Americans do not have government-issued photo ID, compared to 8% of non-minority adults.
• HB 934 will add new government regulations that inconvenience or disenfranchise ordinary people. While people are asked to show ID to purchase alcohol, to board an airplane, or to enter some buildings, voting is a fundamental right, and it should not be treated as a privilege.
More information is available on voter id here from the Brennan Center on Social Justice.
