Make it easier, not harder, to vote
Share with others:
Bea is 92 and has voted in every presidential election since FDR was running for office and is justifiably proud of her voting streak. But as a Pennsylvania senior, she may soon be prevented from voting at all. Not because of illness or lack of transportation or disability or forgetfulness. She may be deemed unqualified to vote in Pennsylvania simply because she does not have photo ID.
The House State Government Committee last week voted for House Bill 934, which would require all voters to produce current, government-issued photo ID each time they vote -- even those like Bea who have voted since the 1930s. Proponents say this would not pose a major inconvenience since most adults carry one form of photo ID or another.
But research contradicts this claim. Seniors are disproportionately represented among the millions of Americans who do not have current government-issued photo IDs. As many as 18 percent of American citizens age 65 and above -- more than 6 million seniors -- do not have current government-issued photo ID. This may include more than 340,000 older Pennsylvanians -- more than the population of Pittsburgh.
Imagine you've been going to your local polling place for more than a half- century and suddenly you're asked to prove who you are with a new photo ID.
Bea does not drive, and her passport expired at least 15 years ago. Neither her AARP card nor her Medicare card nor her Social Security card nor her credit card has a photo. A widow, she now lives at a retirement home which she rarely leaves without her daughter's assistance. These new requirements, after more than seven decades of proud and consistent voting even with her many health challenges, would prevent her from voting at all.
As our state lawmakers debate voting reforms, it is worth remembering this quote from U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, who said: "If we do not remove the barriers that prevent elderly and disabled citizens from exercising their right to vote, then we are -- for all intents and purposes -- disenfranchising them."
First Published May 18, 2011 12:00 am
