But ... but ... but ... but ...

Someone else said it pretty well. These people you are worried about excluding manage to:

Make it to the doctor, make it to the grocery store, make it to the post office, make it to friends houses, make it to welfare offices (if they need that service), make to the social security office, etc...

Why can't they somehow manage to make it somewhere to get an ID?

By the way - you will need ID at a government office for services, and you will need one at a pharmacy to collect your prescriptions. Most banks (and maybe ALL of them) require an ID for a bank account & services. Why all the fuss about presenting the same ID at the polls?

Wow. Wouldn't you be embarrassed if you were part of the GOP and the only way you could think of to win an election is to try to disqualify as many legal voters as possible?

Voter fraud? Belongs solely to the GOP. Steal a vote by stopping a legitimate voter.

@newday - Just how does voter ID laws stop a legitimate voter? I've never understood the resistance to this law. Help me out here...

Virginia Bob --

Who in this modern age doesnt have a valid ID, and cant get one with just a little effort?

Answer: illegals, criminals and crooks.

Wrong. Also included in the tally is at least one elderly woman intimidated by a "crooked" poll worker who demanded a photo ID when it's not even the law in this state right now.

http://m.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/voter-thwarted-in-waukesha-for-lack-of-id-2q4s4r3-146037615.html

The woman said she and her mother had moved to Waukesha last May and registered to vote at Waukesha City Hall in January. They went to their Waukesha West High School poll Tuesday but were asked to show identification - which her mother hadn't brought with her. Her own driver's license had an out-of-date address on it, she said.

"We were listed on their friggin' poll list," she said, "and yet we had our names highlighted." The poll worker said maybe they didn't register in time, though they clearly had.

Kennedy added: "I can't think of any reason ID would have been required."

The woman said they were asked to step aside while a poll worker contacted the city clerk to double check.

"By then there were people in the line behind us, we were totally embarrassed," and there was no place for her elderly mother to sit. "So we just left," the woman said.

Just wait till it is.

http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-09-2011/photo-id-laws-impact-wi.html

A 2005 study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee estimated that nearly 180,000 Wisconsinites 65 and older do not have a driver's license or official photo ID.

So, which of those are the elderly, Bobby -- illegal, criminals, or crooks?

Because we already know which ones work for Scott Walker's little cabal.

In case you've forgotten, Waukesha is the place where this woman used to rule the elections --

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/04/waukesha-county-clerk-nickolaus-steps-aside-for-the-recall-elections.php

Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus has announced that she is stepping aside from her office’s main duty of election administration, in the wake of continued problems with vote counts that have become a center of controversy in this stronghold for Wisconsin Republicans.

This past Tuesday, Waukesha’s full vote count was delayed into Wednesday — actually boosting Mitt Romney’s final lead from five points up to seven points, when all was completed — after the county’s computer system didn’t work. Instead of an orderly online posting of results, employees had to have the paper slips from voting machines hand-delivered from throughout the county, and then post them all over the walls of a county meeting room.

As a result, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, County Executive Dan Vrakas demanded that Nickolaus either resign her office, or hand off election duties to staff for the upcoming recall election against Gov. Scott Walker — in which the result is expected to be close, with no allowable room for error by local officials.

Nickolaus is thus handing off the election duties to her deputy, Kelly Yaeger, and will instead handle other areas of her office, such as issuing marriage licenses.

When asked for comment, the state Democratic Party gave TPM this comment from chairman Mike Tate: “Even her fellow Waukesha Republicans have little to no faith in Kathy Nickolaus’ ability to handle her election duties in a competent and timely manner. It is reassuring to know that the June 5th recall elections, arguably some of the most important in Wisconsin history, will be in more capable hands.”

Nickolaus first came to prominence in April 2011, in the hotly contested election for the state Supreme Court, when two days after the election she announced the discovery of un-tabulated votes from the city of Brookfield — giving conservative Justice David Prosser a net gain of over 7,000 votes, and a very narrow victory — saying that her own error had resulted in them not being properly imported and saved into the county’s database.

Later in the year, a probe by the state election officials found probable cause to believe that Nickolaus had violated the laws and procedures for administering the count, which require a fully detailed online posting of the count on election night — but that her actions were not willful, criminal misconduct.

Crooks? Don't make me laugh, Bobby. Your side has it down to a science.

Voting is a Constitutionally protected right. The GOP can only see one avenue to success to disenfranchise as many voters as it can that it suspects will not vote for them.

The elderly and disabled (including my son, who gets challenged EVERY time he votes) are the ones most impacted. Some will have to chase down state ids, and if they have no transportation, may not be able to get that. Some won't know that voting laws have changed.

But all of you who support this ought to be ashamed of yourselves. This is the old days of the poll tax, and special requirements for minority groups come to light.

And before you ask, I'll tell you why my son gets challenged. He has Tourette Syndrome, he has full body tics when he is nervous, and voting makes him nervous. Why? Because he knows that some officious SOB, generally a poll watcher from a party whose name we won't mention is going to question his right to vote based on how he looks.

And then that poll watcher gets to deal with me......

Who in this modern age doesnt have a valid ID, and cant get one with just a little effort?

Answer: illegals, criminals and crooks.

Can't wait for the election day when the Bob's of the world go to vote, find they have either lost or had their wallet stolen, pull out the passport only to find it expired on the last birthday, and are denied their constitutional right to vote because they do not have a valid photo ID (even through they used that valid ID to register several months before). Of course, as he walks up to the polling office with his lame excuse, I will be happy to call him a crook, thief, illegal-commie.

A 2005 study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee estimated that nearly 180,000 Wisconsinites 65 and older do not have a driver's license or official photo ID.

Anna, are you trying to tell me that 180,000 seniors don't have a bank account or take prescription drugs? both of which require an ID...

Although, I do disagree that the ID needs to have an expiration date. That does create a different issue and sounds like the state is trying to rack up extra fees from those who can afford it the least.

If this is such a serious problem, the GOP would insist on providing a photo (upload) site for each state. If Pay-Pal can verify a person's identity, why can't republican voter insurgent suppressors? Most of you have uploaded your ugly mugs on this site. Oh, wait a minute. This makes too much sense and old, sick, & poor people can still vote.

NewDay---hooray for your son for exercising his right to vote and for you for standing up with him!!

How sad for the Republicans that they can't win on ideas and instead have to disenfranchise voters to win office. And how sad for the people who post here who can't walk a mile in the shoes of other people to realize that there are some people who can't easily get a photo ID or who might not know they need one.

Steeler Fan, the GOP is nothing more than the straw man with no heart, and very little brain. Their slogan is "Me First!"

Newday, I am very impressed with your son. In my book courage is defined by those who master their fear and do the right thing in spite of their fear. That is your son.

Garrison - I just read an NPR article about this legislation. 31 states require voters to have various forms of ID. So the trend over the last few years (since Indiana's successful Supreme Court decision) has been to bring some sanity to the process. We don't live in the previous century.

The NPR story talked about 3 individuals who had been denied their opportunity to vote. One was (I think) 84, and the other two were in their 90's. I sincerely doubt these examples would know how to upload information on a government registry as you suggest. It would be much easier to just get a state issued ID.

One more thing... The Republican party has the some of their strongest support from among the elderly. If this were a Republican / Democrat thing, why would so many "red" states pass this legislation and risk alienating their base?

Rational One and concernedone --

You both have some intelligence, but what you are is rigid ideologues. To simplify that for you, it means that you can't see past the nose on your own face to someone else's situation. The elderly, the poor, and the disabled often lack the means and the ability to obtain a voter ID. As noted above, studies show that approximately 180,000 elderly Wisconsin residents do not have the proper IDs.

Question: If it's so danged easy, then why don't they have them?

Answer: In one case in Wisconsin, an 84-year-old woman of very limited means -- probably the one mentioned in the post immediately above -- who had voted regularly for the past 63 years, was forced to pay a fee to get a copy of her birth certificate so she could vote, even though the Constitution forbids the charging of a poll tax. Other people are facing significant difficulties finding transportation to take them to the DMV offices where the IDs must be obtained, even when they have the necessary paperwork to qualify for the free ID.

Maybe you two should offer to give up some of your precious blogging time to go drive them and help them out with the fees.

Until you do, don't throw stones. Glass breaks oh, so easily.

why would so many "red" states pass this legislation and risk alienating their base?

Your clueless ideology slip is showing again.

The red states are doing this because ALEC says they should do it. Most of these bills were never mentioned during the campaigns, or it's for darned sure these puppets -- including Scott Walker -- would never have been elected.

They're not thinking this up themselves, you idiot. They're being manipulated, just like you are, by the corporations who support ALEC and fund their sorry little campaigns.

WAKE UP, for heaven's sake.

Voter Fraud - A GNOP art - they can't even count the votes in the primaries correctly...see Iowa, Maine....yet they have to disenfranchise every one else -

GNOP - can't deal with the facts - "THEY CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"

The Republican philosophy on voter ID is that it's better to deprive 180,000 legitimate voters of their right to vote (if they tend to vote Democratic) than to let one fraudulent voter go free (even though fraudulent voters are as scarce as hens' teeth).

Anna Molly - I forgive you because you know nothing about what I do for my fellow human beings:

Maybe you two should offer to give up some of your precious blogging time to go drive them and help them out with the fees.

Rest assured, I try to help in so many ways... Regularly... Have for years... Both time and resources (money)... Groceries and utility bills... Disaster assistance... Foreign mission work...

They're not thinking this up themselves, you idiot. They're being manipulated, just like you are

And you are the better person for having pointing this out! Thank you!

Well yes.

When the voter turnout is high, I.E. presidential cycles, Democrats show up to vote. And we win, because we're a much larger party.

When it's low, it's because the Democrats didn't show up. And we lose. I.E. 2010.

Republicans vote like clockwork.

I am jealous of them in that regard.

In a purely even match, where 75% of the voters show up, they get smoked. Our cross is getting our people to the polls, and they know that. So they make it more difficult. It -is- good strategy, even if it's immoral.

Also!

Now that Mitt is the republican nominee, they've broken out the new general election map!

www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/2012_elections_electoral_college_map.html

There's one very low-cost type of voter ID that's already available and used in many polling places: a signature. Everybody has a signature, and they tend to be almost as unique as facial features. Signatures can be faked, but not that easily. Except for a few talented forgers, it takes practice to forge a signature and, of course, the forger has to have a copy of the real registered voter's signature. And if the forger somehow gets the legitimate signature, he has to practice writing it until he can do it quickly and easily under the (hopefully) watchful eye of the poll worker. Signatures are so unique that it doesn't take an expert to catch a forgery, unless the forger is an expert or the poll worker is lazy.

It would take thousands of fraudulent votes to change the outcome of most local elections. It would take millions to change the results of a presidential election. So, how many illegal aliens do Republicans think are available who will diligently practice forging signatures, and how easily can they obtain copies of the real voter to practice the forgery on? I doubt any of them have thought about those things at all. Rational thought might lead them to admit that the only reason for voter ID laws is to keep groups leaning towards Democrats from voting.

Steeler Fan: Having an advocate makes all the difference. But, my son is proud to cast his vote, and studies the issues. Right now...he is interested in green energy, and which candidate supports it more.

I note the assertion, time and again, that voter ID laws "disenfranchise" certain constituencies, and that the GOP is behind such laws because the affected constituencies tend to vote democrat. I have never seen data to support such assertions--and in this case, isn't the "culprit," Pennsylvania, "blue," i.e., democrat-leaning?

I have only my own experience as a reference, but based on that experience, the "problem" with voter ID laws seems more a partisan mantra than a procedural reality.

Here in Hawaii, we have been "blue" since forever--well, at least since before we were a state--and we require ID to register and to vote (two parts of the voting "process").

To register to vote, one must complete a form, provide certain information, though not a picture ID, and submit it to the county clerk.

To remain registered, one must vote in at least one primary or general election every four years. If one doesn't vote over that span, the county clerk removes that voter from the rolls and he or she must re-register.

To vote in person, one must show a valid, current picture ID. (Absentee voting procedures are of course different.)

Those rules apply to everyone in the state who is eligible to register and vote (the two issues here). I fail to understand why any "constituencies" would more likely be disenfranchised than any others by such requirements. This situation perfectly exemplifies why I tend not to accept something as fact simply because it is regularly and uncritically trotted out and asserted as fact.

concernedone --

And you are the better person for having pointing this out! Thank you!

Smugness doesn't mean it's not so. And you're welcome.

Rest assured, I try to help in so many ways... Regularly... Have for years... Both time and resources (money)... Groceries and utility bills... Disaster assistance... Foreign mission work...

So, if that's true, why do you profess no understanding of the difficulties that so many people face?

I forgive you because you know nothing about what I do for my fellow human beings

True. I only know what you think about them.

Romney reminds me of a " big fussy white french poodle " !

Anna, are you trying to tell me that 180,000 seniors don't have a bank account or take prescription drugs? both of which require an ID...

I'm not sure that I've ever shown an ID to pick up prescription drugs. And, yes, I suspect that some seniors don't need them, or alternatively, can't afford them.

Not everyone has bank accounts, which is exactly why the check cashing industry -- i.e., legalized usury -- and another pet project of the conservative right -- has grown so large in so many states, like this one.

As for the bank account, there have been situations in this state where the DMV agents have told people their bank statements didn't show enough "activity" to qualify them for a voter ID.

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/07/video-reveals-bank-activity-a-requirement-for-wisconsin-voter-id/

Oh, really?!

Question: Where does this nonsense end?

Answer: Exactly where conservatives need it to end in order to suppress the vote sufficiently, and a little more, just for good measure.

[Romney reminds me of a "fussy white french poodle " !]

IPS-Ca, Please don't insult Poodles by comparing them to Romney...and FYI, Poodles are actually a German breed...not French ;)

Romney, on the other hand, is in a class all by himself...literally...

@Anna - You have a knack for creating a straw man. The question is by what criteria do you think 180,000 seniors don't have bank accounts or prescription drugs? Both of which require IDs...

In other words, something doesn't add up. It's those libtard facts, they never do.

---------------------------

Edit: You tried to answer my question while I was responding. However, your numbers still don't add up. You DO need an ID for prescriptions and seniors generally have a higher rate of having bank accounts than the rest of the population as they have had to pay bills longer than the rest.

[Anna, are you trying to tell me that 180,000 seniors don't have a bank account or take prescription drugs? both of which require an ID...]

The only time you would be required to show an ID picking up your prescription drugs is if you are filling a script for a controlled substance...such as Oxycontin...so you might want to consult with that drug abuser Rush Limbaugh on that one.

Anna - You want to call me a bad person for "smugness" after your calling me an idiot who is being manipulated by evil people? That is the horse you are backing???????????

Read 1.17 again. I understand people at the pinnacle of life, and I understand people at their worst times. I, myself, have been on both ends of the spectrum. I understand people, and I understand an attempt to misplace aggression. You want to make this a political thing, and you don't even know if I vote "R" or "D". Uh oh... Wait for it...

Life is too short to waste on negativity. I don't understand your attacks. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar... But hey, if you need assistance some time, I will be there for you just the same (if it is possible).

Palm Springs,

No dog would want to be compared to Romney. www.dogsagainstromney.com

RationalOne--

I didn't do the STUDY that came up with the number who don't have IDs, although I've seen it referenced several times.

Take your complaint up with those who did.

If you were right, then we wouldn't be having any of these incidents that keep cropping up. Now would we?

Where, by the way, are YOUR facts? I don't see YOU producing any facts to support your little theory of how it works. Until you do, your opinion that "something doesn't add up" is completely worthless.

In other words, have a nice day. It's been a pleasure, truly. ;-)

concernedone --

You want to call me a bad person for "smugness" after your calling me an idiot who is being manipulated by evil people? That is the horse you are backing???????????

If the horseshoe fits ....

But hey, if you need assistance some time, I will be there for you just the same (if it is possible).

Really?! Well, you know what they always say. The proof of any pudding is in the tasting.

Life is too short to waste on negativity.

True. But then, why would you want to waste your time with me?

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar...

You really ought to try it sometime.

But don't worry, I'll forgive you. ;-)

Allen Hoof

To vote in person, one must show a valid, current picture ID. (Absentee voting procedures are of course different.)

Those rules apply to everyone in the state who is eligible to register and vote (the two issues here). I fail to understand why any "constituencies" would more likely be disenfranchised than any others by such requirements.

The difficulties encountered by the poor, the elderly, and students, have been explained over and over. If you fail to understand why they are being disenfranchised by the Republican voter ID laws, then the reason why you can't understand is that you do not WANT to understand.

This situation perfectly exemplifies why I tend not to accept something as fact simply because it is regularly and uncritically trotted out and asserted as fact.

Republicans regularly out their tired claims of widespread voter fraud with ZERO evidence that it's a problem. But you seem to accept that uncritically. And, by the way, absentee ballots are a far more serious source of fraud than in-person voting for obvious reasons. And you don't have to show an ID when you put an absentee ballot in the mailbox. But you're OK with that, right? Republicans tend to vote absentee more than Democrats. If the reverse were true, the Republicans would probably want to ban absentee ballots -- but based on the fact absentee ballots have been a source of serious fraud, they might have some legitimate reasons for doing it.

If you were right, then we wouldn't be having any of these incidents that keep cropping up. Now would we?

My point is if YOU were right we would have a LOT MORE of these incidents cropping up. 180,000 seniors makes up a BIG voting block, which would create a MUCH LARGER FUSS than the few exceptions you keep bringing up. That's why your numbers don't add up...

I am not sure what voter Id has to do with the article...! Santorum was going to lose and now he is hiding behind his kid. As far as voter ID, if your too ignorant to have an id for day to day usage, you probably shouldn't be voting.

jolly joker

As far as voter ID, if your too ignorant to have an id for day to day usage, you probably shouldn't be voting.

If you don't understand the clearly and repeatedly stated reasons why legitimate voters in certain groups have difficulty getting picture IDs, then maybe you're too stupid to vote.

180,000 seniors makes up a BIG voting block, which would create a MUCH LARGER FUSS than the few exceptions you keep bringing up. That's why your numbers don't add up...

Maybe not. I could speculate about that, but why should I, when you still haven't presented any contrary numbers or authority. And then again there's always that case of the couple shown in the video above who had a bank account but apparently did not have valid IDs for voting.

How does that square with your theory that IDs are absolutely, always required for bank accounts?

BINGO.

houston!

You make a number of assumptions about me, and what I think. Based on my comments on one issue--voter ID--you assume things about me with respect to several, from an apparently partisan perspective, about which you have no information.

Allow me to weigh in, one last time:

I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I am a senior citizen. I was a student--several times. I have never been "rich." I have never officially/statistically been "in poverty," but there was a time when I would have been considered "poor." I have never had a problem registering to vote, or voting, either absentee (in Vietnam) or at the polls. I was a poll worker for ten years; I've seen the process at work. I saw no instances of fraud. Every voter was properly identified before being issued a ballot. Some voters were denied the right to vote: mostly because they had no ID or were at the wrong polling place. Some returned with ID; some blamed the messenger and went home in a snit. Some went to their proper polling place; some blamed the messenger and went home in a snit. I have never seen examples of the your anecdotal "evidence" of disenfranchisement--except by individual choice.

I will also weigh in with an opinion about the current race. The President will be re-elected. I expect that he will have my vote--again. (I always vote.) The reason is simple. Barring some scandal or revelation of epic proportion involving the President, I will vote against the Republican candidate (Governor Romney) because I find him the less attractive alternative--and because I do not find myself in any of the "constituencies" to whom the Republicans pander.

Finally, to return to the voter ID issue: What is your solution? Require no ID? In those circumstances, the potential for fraud is practically unlimited, and to deny electoral fraud is to ignore history and human nature. In my experience (as an observer for over 50 years, and for nearly as long as a voter) politicians are decidedly NOT "all honorable men." I can almost visualize a horde of unidentified 15-year old ideologues, all named McLovin, traveling from precinct to precinct, voting again and again. A ludicrous scenario--or ACORN gone wild?

houston!

I find I must weigh in one more time.

First, I apologize. I should have re-read your earlier post: your solution is ID by signature. I'm not sure it does not have its own problems, but it's a solution.

Second, I didn't address your comments about absentee ballot fraud. I don't know where the sources of allegedly widespread fraud are; I have not studied the issue. Again, all I have to go on is my own experience. I had to apply for an absentee ballot. To do so, I had to be on the rolls. Once I received the ballot and voted, my identity (without revealing my vote) had to be notarized. Then the ballot was placed in the mail. Here in Hawaii, if someone is issued an absentee ballot, that fact is noted by the county clerk. Not only may a second absentee ballot not be issued, but the fact of the absentee ballot issuance is noted in the poll book used at the precinct polling place; the voter may not vote at the polls unless an unmarked absentee ballot is turned in.

Again, apologies for shooting from the hip.

There is no doubt that is present the need for Democrats to commit fraud in the incoming elections to reelect Barak Obama , this is a real danger, their opposition to any law that require electors to show their identification, to exercise the right to vote cannot be more obvious. As an example we have the Major in New Haven (Democrat) who leads his demand for the legislature of his state in order to allow illegal immigrants voting in the elections. New Haven since 2007 has a program that provides legal identification to illegal immigrants. These are the dangers that we face when democrats are in charge. All we know that only citizen born in the United States or naturalized citizen have the right to vote.

We need Voter ID Cards in every state for every election. Look what happened in the 2008 Presidential election.

They need a photo ID to Register to vote, to drive, to collect welfare and medicade. The ID's are free. It is an entitlement. They need to to drink, buy wine and smoke.

The Liberals want all the Illegal Aliens to vote

New Haven since 2007 has a program that provides legal identification to illegal immigrants

This is an issue for local officials to decide. Please note, the mayor proposed extending voting to immigrants in local elections only. They would be excluded from participating in state and Federal elections. More from the RWNJ blowing an issue way overboard. If they would read vs. relying on the rumor mill, they might actually become knowledgeable.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/new_haven_conn_mayor_wants_to.html

I've enjoyed reading this tangent that the comments have taken. However, I just wanted to add that by the Patriot Act, all private bank accounts require an ID in order to be opened. However, I have found no evidence to support the claim that you need an ID to fill non-narcotic prescriptions (I would imagine, however, it would still be quite difficult to pick up someone else's prescription).

I think it was when Jimmy Carter and the commission on "federal election reform" did their study that I first read something about this. I think the quote most people got from it was something along the lines of "There's no evidence of extensive voter fraud or of multiple voting, but both do occur, and it could affect the outcome of a close election."

There is plenty of evidence for the opposition, as is clearly pointed out. They target the demographics that are more likely to vote democratic. It worked out that way, and that is a potential issue.

I agree with the Supreme Court's decision on the law. "Visiting the DMV to obtain a photo ID does not qualify as a substantial burden on the right to vote. Photo Identification cards are currently needed to board a plane, enter federal buildings, and cash a check (even if you would like to call it usury). Voting is equally important." If someone can actually make it to a voting location, I would begin to question how immobile they really are. I understand that they may not find it necessary or even practical to renew or obtain a photo ID. All of the evidence against this law (as it stands) makes sense to me. I see where you are coming from. However, the question, "Are you who you say you are?" is a valid one, and one that will not be asked any less frequently as we move forward.

As somebody who has served as a judge of elections, challenges to a voter's identification do not come as often as all of those who would like to believe that we are mass disenfranchising the elderly and the poor. In many years of being at the polls for all levels of elections, I have seen few challenges, and even fewer that turned out to be valid, where a person was prevented from voting, often a driver's license, coupled with a piece of official mail carrying the same name and address were sufficient to resolve the issue.....Everyone has some sort of bills coming to the household, for utilities, for phone, for mortgage, for car payment, and there would be an addressed piece of mail corresponding. As for the elderly, many elect to use advance voting or absentee voting priveleges because they are not sure what the weather conditions would be on the actual election day, or what their health situation might be......And I have never seen any elderly person treated with anything other than helpful courtesy by any judge of election (of which, each polling place must have a minimum of two-one representing each party as well as poll watchers to insure that nothing occurs within the polling place that might co-erce a person to change their vote because of perceived pressure) As a word of Advice, should anyone, with the legal right to vote, experience any difficulty at a polling place, you can contact the county board of elections immediately for resolution as most voter's registrations are distributed from that body. You may immediately ask to see the head judge for that polling facility. There are no people with baseball bats to threaten and intimidate you, and certainly nobody is permitted to commit bodily harm on another-inside or outside a polling place. I, as an American citizen must produce proper ID to use my check book, often to use my credit card, to get a job, to do my banking.....and recently enough, I have found out that I really should have a passport (something that isn't familiar to most Americans, and until recently in our history, wasn't needed to go into Canada or Mexico) Every day, I have to prove that I am a legal citizen to go about my daily business. I carry my identification with me at all times, so why should it be any sort of problem to present it at the time I am voting???? Presumably, many of these people drove to the polling place which would indicate that they have some sort of wallet or purse with driver's license. For those that took public transportation, they had to keep their money/fare someplace and once again for most that would be a wallet or a purse....what is so hard about having ID with your money????? And considering that identity theft has become a huge issue in our society, would you like to the be the person who comes to your voting center, only to discover that somebody else already voted and used your identity to do so and thereby disenfranchises you?????

Coalesce ... what a great word for the pooling of stagnant waters.

Won't smell any better when you put it all together.

Colace...just a simple typo changes the whole concept! Exactly what the party of NO needs to get moving...

Quick! Grab the Etch-A-Sketch we've gotta give a few good shakes before...

With over 15 Jobs bills being held up in the Senate by Harry Reid we all know who is the Party of No.

Please Tea Party do not let Barrack Obama spend our tax dollars on his games. We worked hard for the money and to give it to him I would rather see it in flames

2010 is over Boob. PA hates their Koch brothers governor and hates their new vaginal probe and voter ID laws. This state will go to the president, even with the stripping of voter's rights by a disingenuous GOP. The GOP can't wait to kill Social Security and Medicare, and with many seniors barred from the voting booth their task will be much easier. Then the funds saved can be used in more unjust wars to fatten the wallets of "defense" contractors. At the same time the wealthy will get further tax cuts while Grandma will go to an early grave with a useless healcare voucher in her hand.

Our Governor is not popular for his vaginal probe law (of which he said "just close your eyes") and for his role in the Penn State scandal. There are few yard signs in an area where they usually are all over the place. Pennsylvania will be blue this fall.

Bob -

Perhaps you missed this part of the article above?

"Looking toward the general election, Republicans are at a one-million voter registration disadvantage in the state"

You're normally the king of wishful thinking around here, but perhaps you should worry about your own state before you waste more time on ours.

O.K. bob, if a person can verify they are legally qualified to vote and get an ID card, why must there be an expiration date on it? This is not a drivers license or the like, it is an ID used to identify someone.

The only possible reason to put an expiration date on it is that it would be valid if expired.

You people who scream about government intrusion and socialist laws have got to be the dumbest in America. If this isn't Communism, what is it?

Bob,

PA and your state will be blue. I wish my state would turn blue too. The GOP is broken. Even down here.

That is supposed to read:

The only possible reason to put an expiration date on it is that it would be invalid if expired.

President Obama has consistently led the GOP's prime losers in the polls during the Republican Party's hilarious primary race despite the fact he has not been campaigning. It will be interesting to see just how badly Mitt "Etch-A-Sketch" Romney fares against the president now that it is just him, alone and afraid.

Latest polls of President Obama vs. GOP candidates:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/president_obama_vs_republican_candidates.html

RationalOne- the reason republicans are pushing the voter ID law is because they know they are going to lose the coming election, and with it, a lot of their seats if they don't stop millions of votes from being cast for Democrats. The ID that was good enough for them to register to vote, is no good under the republicans new law. Republicans say, ID must have an expiration date, school ID does not have one, so the young people still in school without a drivers license or another piece of ID with a picture and expiration date cannot vote, republicans are afraid most of them will vote Democrat. The same holds true with the poor that has never owned a car or had a drivers license, and do not have a passport. personal ID that is excepted everywhere around the country, cannot be used to register to vote. For the people that are already registered, their personal ID cannot be used to identify yourself in order to vote. There is no wide-spread voter fraud, the only voter fraud going on, is what republicans are doing. Republicans are telling everybody what they are going to do to them, only die-hard republican voters don't realize they're talking about doing it to them.

UAW Pleeeeeeeease, don't forget your State ID before you cross the state line, you will need to show that to prove you are a citizen of that State. Oh and you do not see that black car behind you it is not there.

Tis,

I've got my ID with me at all times. Whether I'm crossing a state line or crossing a side walk. Voting carries more responsibility than just "Hoping for Change". If you are not responsible enough to carry ID to a voting booth we don't need your help in selecting our leadership. This objection to having a valid ID to vote is another shining example of the lack of personal responsibility this president has been pushing since 2008.

So you don't have a drivers license or any other picture ID?

Frank,

I think the real issue is, Liberal Democrats are afraid that more of them are too irresponsible to carry ID than Independents or Republicans.....

For all you folks that feel being required to prove identity is somehow a communist plot, then I suggest that you get rid of your shopping rewards cards....you know the things with the bar codes that you show when you check out to get special preferred discounts, because somewhere, all your personal information...what you buy, how often you buy, where you shop, how much money you spend...is all being tracked and monitored. Same for your credit card transactions, ATM Business, and what about the automatic tollway passes, so that you don't have to stop....now they know where you are and where you are going and even how fast you are going when you pass through that toll booth. Most gasoline stations now have you on camera at the pump and are taking pictures of the license of your car.. Most stores video tape you. In major cities, just walking down the street can result in your being video taped by crime prevention and traffic cameras......And by the way, did you all know that you can be tracked by your cell phone-particularly the "smart ones", even if they are off???? And your computer usage.....You don't seriously think that nobody knows what sites you visited???? How do they catch all those folks for child porn, quietly in the dark in their family rooms in the middle of the night????? You don't seem to object to any of these obvious intrusions, but showing an ID to vote is somehow "un-American" Big Brother is already here, and making people show ID to vote is not the end of life as we know it....that happened already.

After the humiliating debacle of the GOP primary race, the Republican Party is packing its bags and heading home. Etch-A-Sketch is on his own, now.

Are you joking? Seriously....

Google Burzynski movie. This guy has a cure for cancer and it is being suppressed by the FDA and Big Pharma. Full movie link is below.

obama reminds me of a stinky poodle turd

Funny. Your ex-wife said the same thing about you.

PC/NOT is for George W. Bush! He must be a traitor because he wants Bush to finish us off and complete the job he started af ruining the Nation for good. The GOP finally came up with a plan to end "entitlements." The GO will bankrupt the Nation and then say the entitlements did it even though Social Security has been in effect for seventy-five years without bankrupting the Nation as the GOP has been falsely claiming for seventy-four years. Yet if we look at the actual fact it was the GOP who crated the Nation's debt by giving the wealthiest amond us more tax breaks. The debt that arose out of the Clinton surplus is less then ten yearts old and social security is seventy-five years old and the Bush tax cuts are ten years old. Which of these caused the deficit?

Maybe the GOP is right? Maybe, just maybe after seventy-five years of being wrong that Social Security was going to bankrupt the Nation this decade it finally happened and Grand MA and Grand Pa's meager social security benefits bankrupted the Nation? Or maybe it was the two unfunded wars and the massive tax break give away to the richest that directly coincide with the creation of the debt that caused the massive deficit? It isn't hard to see that the debt came about under Bush. Prior to Bush was Clinton and he had a budget surplus. The GOP screwed everything up with their failed policies and george W. bush. What did the GOP think george W. bush would do? He only wrecked ever business he ever dealt with prior to wrecking the US economy. Was the GOP naive enough to really think george W. bush would finally get it right after failure upon failure upon failure? Or do thye like when the Nation is on the rocks? Which is it?

talking points is truelly ignorant - there has been NO president (I use that term loosely in obamas case) who has been more divisive then this sad excuse for a president . obama has been nothing but a divider - poisoning the nation with his class envy and warfare

Hey PC/Not we can't help that you "feel divided" from the country just because you are a bigot and you didn't like President Obama before he enacted even the first piece of legislation. We get it it you don't like black people. Get over it. Obama has cleaned up the GOP mess of an economy and Romney has to vote for President Obama because he is better off now than he was four years ago. You know he is so don't fight it just vote Obama.The Republicans are the on;y people who don't remember the Great Depression that the GOP caused in 2007. Class envy? Are you saying that we are envious of you? I can assure you we are not. You are the one who sounds envious. Are you a poor person who votes republican?

TP, I don't think Liberal Democrats are the only ones irresponsible enough to not carry ID. There are probably just as many Republicans and independents in that catagory as well. The bottom line is you need to prove who you are to vote.....

Who is "King George" in your warped and perverted mind? W.? The GOP wants to finish the second act of "The Failed reign of King George the Second." No thanks.

Sammy, I guess we will. Republicans have been WAGING WAR on the Country since Reagan. So if you feel that way maybe you should take refuge now in the Woods and Stay there. Because your outlook is very DISMAL for Humanity along with all of the other people who think like you.