Tom Mihalek / REUTERS
Voting-rights groups are suing to block Pennsylvania’s controversial voter ID law, and a ruling in the case is expected before Tuesday.
The state’s Republican leadership argues that the law should stand, since getting a state-issued ID isn’t all that difficult. But it’s hard to take that argument seriously after reading testimony given last week by one 84-year-old Pennsylvanian, Nadine Marsh, about the nightmare of incompetent bureaucracy that she was put through as she tried to get one.
And ask yourself: How many other Pennsylvania voters, less determined than Marsh, will end up getting discouraged and giving up?.
Here's Marsh's testimony:
I was born on March 8th, 1928, in Sewickley, which is in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. I have no photo ID that will allow me to vote on November 6. I have never driven or had a PennDOT photo ID, so I needed a raised, sealed birth certificate, Social Security card and two proofs of residence to get a nondriver PennDOT ID in order to vote. I have been unable to obtain a PennDOT ID because I do not have a birth certificate. And the Department of Health notified me in May by a document dated May 16th, 2012, that they have no record of my birth. Exhibit 12, Page 3, from the first trial. I want to vote, so I have continued to try to get an ID that will allow me to do so in November.
In August, I learned that the Commonwealth would be issuing a new form of ID known as the Department of State, DOS, voter ID and that I could get it without a birth certificate. My granddaughter, Suzanne Smith, knows how to use the Internet, and she researched what documents I needed to get the DOS ID.
Based on her research, she learned that I would need to present two acceptable proofs of residency. Since I live with my daughter, Barb Smith, I do not get any bills that show my address. Neither Suzanne nor I could tell if I had the necessary documents to get a DOS ID. So on August 25th, Suzanne sent an email to the Department of State help line. And we have the Internet address for that. A copy of the August 25 email is attached as Exhibit 1. And I'm just going to characterize here Exhibit 1. It's an email to the help desk where she says that the Web site says that you are asked to present two proofs of residence, such as a utility bill, along with their date of birth and Social Security number. And the question is being asked: What do you mean by "such as"? What is a full list of the kinds of proof of residence documents that we can present? I don't know what "such as" is. That's too vague. And then our DMV is over 20 miles from home, and making numerous trips due to lack of clarity about acceptable proof is burdensome, to say the least. So this is dated August 25. Suzanne stated in the email that she could not find a complete list of acceptable proofs of residency. The closest thing she found was the following: When requesting these IDs, voters will need to affirm that they do not possess any other approved identification for voting purposes. They will be asked to provide two proofs of residence, such as a utility bill, along with their date of birth and Social Security number if the customer has an assigned number. PennDOT will validate the voter registration status with the Department of State while the voter is in the PennDOT office. Upon confirmation of this information, the voter will be issued a voter card before leaving the PennDOT facility. She then asked for a, quote, full list of acceptable types of proof of residency, because the -- "such as" in the above-referenced paragraph was "too vague."
After three days, Suzanne still had not received a reply from DOS. On August 28th, Suzanne sent a second email asking DOS to respond and adding a question about whether I would have to take two trips to DMV. A copy of the August 28th email is attached as Exhibit 2. Two more days passed, and Suzanne still had not gotten a response from DOS. On August 30th, Suzanne sent a third email, forwarding her earlier ones asking for a response. A copy of the August 30 email is attached as Exhibit 3. Later that day on August 30, Suzanne received a response saying that I can fulfill the requirements if I bring a, quote, verification of residence affirmation, end quote, form which was attached, filled out by someone who can say where I live, along with a bank statement. A copy of the August 30 DOS response is attached as Exhibit 4.
I got very sick right after Suzanne received the response, and I was unable to leave the house for a couple of weeks. I felt better -- I'm sorry. I felt better by the weekend of September 15th, so I decided it was time to try again to get my ID. The closest licensing bureau is in Rochester, which is more than 20 miles away from my home and takes about 40 minutes to drive there. See Exhibit 5, MapQuest printout of directions. Because such a trip is difficult for me, we wanted to be sure we went to the bureau on a day that I could get my ID. My granddaughter searched the PennDOT Web site and found that the Rochester office is opened from 8:15 to 4:30 on Mondays. See Exhibit 6, which is a Web site printout of East Rochester PennDOT driver license center. Based on the information, on Monday, September 17th, my daughter Barb, who had a day off from work, drove me the 40 minutes to the East Rochester licensing center. I had all the papers I thought I would need to get the ID. Even though the PennDOT office was open, they told me that the licensing desk is not open on Mondays, so I was unable to obtain a DOS ID. We made the 40-minute drive home without getting an ID.
Since Barb was again off from work the next day, Tuesday, September 20th, she and I made a second trip, yet again driving the 40 minutes to the Rochester DMV. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, Barb and I worked with a PennDOT clerk, who did not seem to understand about the DOS ID and who had to ask her supervisor many questions. Even though I had the two proof of residency forms the DOS help desk had told Suzanne I needed in their August 30 email, the completed verification of residence affirmation form and my bank statement with the home address on it, PennDOT refused to issue me a DOS ID.
I was told that PennDOT needed to, quote, process the application and that I should go home and "Harrisburg" would notify me when I could come back to get my DOS ID. I was not given a receipt or any other document verifying my application. In addition to the 20-minute wait, I spent an hour working with this lady, and I still did not get a voter ID. The clerk could not tell me what document would be getting in the mail from Harrisburg or when I would receive it. When I expressed concern about how long it would take, the clerk alerted me to the fact that I needed to return with the document before October 9, which she said was the deadline to get voter ID. The drive home took another 40 minutes.
As of this date, September 23, I still have not heard anything from either PennDOT or DOS about getting my ID. As of this date, I have no ID to vote, despite taking two trips to a DMV, and have no idea how or if I will be able to get an ID to vote in November.
Similarly hellish stories can be found here (pdf).
Leave a Comment:
This is the most blatant form of voter suppression I have ever seen. It's a wonder the Republicans can sleep at night. I believe in karma, but I'm sure it won't come around before the election. You don't want to know what I would do to these people if I could. It's not nice! People like these should not be ALLOWED to hold office. It's a shame it affects the elderly and the poor. What a way to sway the election, at the cost of the elderly and poor.......but that has always been the Republican way.
If her experience is anything to go by, it is proof that the State cannot fulfill its promises of easy access to said card, and the law should be declared null and void.
I believe in divine reciprocity which mean that the very thing the Republicans put into the universe they shall receive in return. The want to win an election without actually earning it therefore they shall loose every single election that matters to them.
Already happening...they will be an obscure minority party after this election. Mark my words, even my 2 former republican friends are now independents. LOL..these bums would sell their mothers for a buck..or vote ...whatever. Karma will come just wait when mid-elections come around. Youre going to see so many republicans switching their alliances (to moderate conservatives...a dying breed) They are really stuck in a time warp (1980's) ...as if the American people are that stupid...shame on them!!
I am a lifelong progressive, almost always voting Democratic, occasionally picking from another party if the candidate seemed more qualified; however, I refute your statement that this corrupt and twisted behavior has "always been the Republican way".
Sadly, the GOP has been co-opted by the most extreme amongst its members. There are still moderate Republicans who believe that we live in a democracy, that democracy is a good idea, that compromise to find the best possible solutions is the sensible way to run a government and that there should be regular, frequent and meaningful elections to determine which direction we lean at any given time.
The extremists who hold sway at the moment believe that a "permanent Republican majority" would be a good idea. They're wrong. A permanent majority of any kind ceases to BE a democracy and becomes something else entirely. I'm not going to sling a lot of nasty, loaded names around. One will serve. Anyone who believes that each citizen deserves a say in how and how much the government governs our lives knows what a permanent majority of any kind is called: tyranny.
Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. He brought us the Emancipation Proclamation. Dwight David Eisenhower, who was the first to warn us of the dangers of the military-industrial complex, was a Republican.
There was a time, when the southern Democrats controlled that party and the Democrats were the party of segregation and discrimination.
Things change. This too shall pass. And the Republican party will either die the death it so richly deserves at the moment or the moderates, who are almost certainly the real majority within the party, will reclaim it. Or they'll start a new party, and the people who went off the deep end will remain hanging out there in the cold, with their frightened and frightening approach to the world affairs and our free society.
May it happen soon.
I hope Ms. Marsha gets her voter ID. SMH and very disappointed with the State of PA implementing voter ID laws to prevent our elderly and minorities from exercising their rights to vote without barriers to the voting booth. Obama 2012!
Here in West Virginia my wife lost her ID card and her Social security Card at the same time. We drove 20 miles to the nearest Social security office, and they couldn't help us because she didn't have any ID. So we drove to the DMV. We had with us 2 proofs of residency, her birth cert, and marriage license. She could not get a replacement ID because she did not have a marriage license and divorce decrees from her previous 2 marriages from over a decade ago. To get a $12 Replacement ID, we now have to wait and send out to vital records those 4 items at $15 a piece. $60 TOTAL! And being disabled and living on a very small fixed income, this is unacceptable. That was 4 months ago.. We are still waiting to save some more money for her first marriage documents, then probably have to wait a month after that to save money for the gas trip to another County. All in all, a very simple procedure for a REPLACEMENT ID, is ridiculous.. I blame the Patriot Act and State Department. Get a clue people, normal citizens are suffering under this protection. Albeit, our suffering is financial and time based.
I would GO to the nearest Obama Campaign Office and seek their help! Instesd of spending hundreds of dollars on TV ads they should be willing to help you with obtaining your Id in order to GET YOUR VOTE!
so she had an ID but lost it and it is everyone else fault because she lost her ID. So if this was not an election year she would not bother getting an ID. she only uses her ID for voting. in all the states I lived in you had to do the same thing bring 2 forms of ID to get your ID card. How do you know she is a democrat?
Mary-Jane - ANY elected official would or at least should be EAGER to help this woman regardless of what candidate gets her vote. Voting is at the core of what democracy and our Constitution is about. It is very difficult to navigate bureaucratic bull@!$%# especially when you are elderly. I almost couldn't accept a job because of the (understood) but PIA documentation I had to include because of homeland security. I'm 51. Born and raised in the USA. Working and known by the IRS since I was 14 years old, yet... they needed a drivers license and additional documentation. Cannot find my Passport ( many people never can afford to travel so don't get Passports), I don't remember EVER having an actually SS card and as a result of job loss then lesser income I have lived with family members so I don't have what would be the requisite bills (utility / phone / etc. ) sent to me. I've kept mail in a PO Box so that as I have had this transition so that I can receive bills etc. (including the IRS) as my address changes. My mailing address has remained the same but for identification purposed, PO Boxes don't count. For this older woman to have to expend those efforts at her age... ether she had to drive the 40 minutes (which is probably not a good idea) or someone else had to probably take time off on a work day to take her (govn't offices are only open during narrow daytime hours)... this really is not right. She needs to go to her local Congressional office and the constituent advocate there needs to help her asap even if it means he/she has to drive the lady themselves. This is not about political party - BOTH of which are spending gobs of money on television ads along with their PACs and interest group "citizens". BTW - I am a registered Republican... single-parent.... hard-working voter.
"everyone else fault because she lost her ID". Um dude. He never said it was anybody elses fault she lost her ID. I believe the point was that she lost her ID which is important for many reasons and is having an incredibly difficult time aquiring a new one. One would think that getting a replacement ID from an institution which already has the information and photograph on file could be streamlined into an easy, user friendly process.
Speeddunk logic such as what you have so beautifully outlined here is lost on those whose true goal is to disenfranchise those whom they believe do not subscribe to the same exclusionary ideology that they do.
I am sorry that this woman is having so much trouble getting her ID and permission to vote. I hope she is able to get through all the red tape and get things taken care of.
This article is a invaluable tool for others! Get registered now! Do something about being recognized as a citizen now!
American citizenry is not easy,it is hard. But it is one of the best (if not the best) countries in the world to live. That is why everyone wants to live here, even illegally! Everyone needs to do there part to solve this problem!
Do it now!
And make copies and keep receipts for all the IDs or DLs or other forms of identification you get over the years. This will make it easier to get replacements in the future!
Mr. Westman, I agree that obtaining citizenship should not be too simple. There should be every effort made to afford all citizens easy access to a voting booth. This is voter suppression, straight up.
By what measure is the US the "greatest country in the world"? 14th in Math and Science scores, 37th in health outcomes (including infant mortality), a country that has endorsed and used torture, and poorly justifies preemptive wars without any plan to pay for them.
Not 'everyone" wants to live in the US.
It should NOT be this hard to vote. What's next, sign over your firstborn? This is voter suppression.
This type of suppression is happening all over the country. I have a daughter who recently married. She doesn't have a drivers licence and was waiting to get an ID until after she married to save on the hassle and expense of doing all the paper work twice. At the social security office to change her name she had her birth certificate, social security card, marriage licence, and mail to prove her address and this still was not enough proof for them. They needed something else. Luckily I had her insurance card in my purse which finally enabled her to change her name.
What a tremendous hassle and I don't even live in one of the targeted voter suppression states. I am grateful I was able to get it done in one trip because the SS office is 40 miles from where I live. I think I will bring my file cabinet when we go to the MVA.
Good luck to those seeking to obtain an ID. Remember to persevere because this election is important and your vote does matter.
it is about time 2012 that everyone get with the program and quit crying .....just get your ID card and stop talking about why you can't get one...no one is too dumb to get an ID ....we should never have to visit this subject again....you now have 39 days to do it.
hey pity puppy, I have a full time (+) job and if I was forced to make two trips for naught to a gubbamint installation just to vote in what is supposedly a free election, well that is two days off work, maybe you could quit crying and support people making the effort.
BTW, What you are supporting is by definition a version of Stalinist communism (I couldn't resist:)
Clearly, you did not read the story. Ms. Marsh is neither "dumb" nor lazy, she is one of the millions of voters who may either run out of time, or run out of patience to keep walking this Republican gauntlet. It is fair to say that your advice to "just get your ID card and stop talking about why you can't get one" is a moronic bit of wisdom.
Everyone knows beauracracy and beauracrats are governed by rules and red tape, and trying to get anything done is usually a nightmare. I find it so mean and cruel to force elderly folks to go through all these hoops to get to do something they have probably done all their lives. If the Republicans were truly concerned with upholding democracy they would have first made sure everyone who needed to get an ID would have it before they implemented the law. It is unconscienable and morally repugnant. I could not imagine doing this to my granny. Shame on them.
Sorry posted to the wrong comment I agree.
Yesterday I took my neighbor to cash his social security check. He had his licence, but he no longer drives, so his license had expired. He no longer travels so his passport has also expired. However he did have his expired licence with photo and Veterans Administration identification. I took him to two banks, but neither would accept his id to cash his check, nor could he endorse the check to me so I could give him his money. His id may be expired, but that does not change who he is or what he has done for his country. He was special forces in Vietnam and has a purple heart. I don't think he cares about voting, but if he did, I can imagine the nightmare it would be for him. I think this goes to show how bad for democracy it is when the voting rules are changed so close to a critical national election.
Just because government offices are incompetent is no reason why we shouldn't have to present a voter ID. I get carded at liquor stores, at the doctor's office, etc. And I don't consider this a violation of my rights. So what is the big deal here?
Call your state representatives and ask them to simplify the process!
Easy for you to say, what if you are an elderly person who has had a stroke and has difficulty moving around. Don't be so mean and cold. Respect your elders.
Mary: You have to present a form of identification or proof of address with a utility bill when you move into a new address during voter registration. So the registration process has a form of identification already. Remember too, that voting is a Constitutional guaranteed right. All people should vote but no one is forcing someone to go to the liquor store or into a bar. Also as many as ten percent of a state's population will be discriminated against because they do not have driver's licenses or access to cars. College students, Seniors in assisted living centers or rest homes, the poor, and minorities in lower socioeconomic areas such as urban centers will have problems getting to a state motor vehicle licensing office or some other state office in another county or city. This causes undue hardship on these people.
Walter Mondale and Arne Carlson both said that the Minnesota constitutional amendment on Voter ID is unnecessary and will cost townships, county, and city governments millions of dollars to comply with. Minnesota's budget right now is robbing Peter to pay Paul to fund our schools, cities, and highway departments. Where will townships, county, and city governments come up with the funds to support this new Voter ID law? Will the rich want to pay more taxes to support Voter ID that will cost tens upon tens of millions of dollars for an unnecessary law? So I will be voting "NO" on Minnesota's GOP sponsored Voter ID amendment. Governor Dayton, former GOP Governor Arne Carlson, and Vice President Walter Mondale all have this one correct: Vote "NO" on Voter ID.
Today, we learned where the real voter fraud is occurring. It's the republican's consultants in Florida falsifying registration forms. Since this same consultant firm has contracts to provide this same service in other states voter fraud cases may extend beond Florida.
This piece is as fictional as the latest NBC-edited Romney/Ryan video and Trayvon Martin 911 call. The liberals love to cite Canadian laws but fail to mention their voter id requirements prior to be issued a ballot. Just like driving a car, being served alcohol withdrawing cash from the bank and attending an Michelle Obama appearance, you should have id and be prohibited from participation if you none. It is a safeguard of our republic especially after all the history of Democrat dirty tricks in the 20th Century, the felon's votes in MN and dead/double votes in Ohio.
Just because you want to believe it is fictional, does not make it so. Re: Canadian election law, careful buddy, you don't know what you are talking about. Voter registration in Canada can be done online. You can register to vote on election day, various forms of identification can be used, and should one lack necessary ID, a registered elector can vouch for the voter under oath. 93% of voters are automatically registered by Elections Canada. Each province will also issue a provincial ID card free of charge. We make it easy for everyone to vote here.
The news out of Florida today doesn't really fit with your
"Democrat dirty tricks" does it? Voting is a right of citizenship, unlike driving a car, buying beer, or having a bank account. Exercising one's right to vote should not include the hoops that Rep. governments have laid in place in order for people to exercise their right. You are all wet on this one.
Ond day, the repugnant party will pay for this voter suppression outrage against the whole population of the USA. The people are going to throw these people out of office.
If you believe the horrors, oh the horrors, of this bs I have some ocean front property in AZ to sell you.
How about we go for a fresh start. Everyone to be purged from voter lists and must go through this process. Maybe then we won't have to deal with this BS again.
so this person claims they have no birth certificate? he should not be voting if he cannot prove he was born in this country, for all we know he may be here illegally. I mean everyone gets a birth certificate. also your telling me an 82 year old does not have a drivers license? maybe its his fault he can't vote.
Well, Peter, now that you have blamed the victim, I'm an 83 year old person who needed a birth certificate. I have had a driver's license for over 50 years and never had a ticket--which is beside the point. I can vote and believe me, I will! But, to get a birth cetificate for my pass port in 1980 cost me a lot of time and money. I had to get a sworn statement from my elder sister, who was present when I was born at home, school records, county records for something called "enumerations", even federal records which are taken every ten years, plus Baptismal Records from my church and MY Marriage License. (That would not even be possible today because I'm the oldest living member of my family.) It took me a whole year but I had the time and the resources and it was MY desire to go abroad. One last thing: I was taught in all of my CIVICS classes that it was my DUTY to vote!