aGameOfThrones
08-16-2013, 07:24 PM
A state judge issued an order Friday that is expected to block enforcement of Pennsylvania's strict voter-identification law in the Nov. 5 general election.
Local poll workers can ask voters to show IDs if they have them and distribute written material about the law, but they may not tell voters at the polls that photo IDs could be required in future elections, Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard McGinley said.
"There is no value in inaccurate information, and the court does not deem inaccurate information 'educational.' It is not a matter of confusion — it is a matter of accuracy," McGinley wrote.
McGinley's ruling marked the third consecutive election in which enforcement of the law has been blocked by court order.
After legal jousting that reached the state Supreme Court, a judge blocked enforcement in last year's presidential election and again in this year's municipal and judicial primary because of lingering concern that it could disenfranchise voters who lacked a valid photo ID.
The preliminary injunction will remain in effect until McGinley decides the case and rules on a request for a permanent injunction. Although his order does not mention the Nov. 5 election, both sides in the case sought to block enforcement of the law in that election.
"The intention certainly was that it would last through November," said Jennifer Clarke, director of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia who is helping represent plaintiffs seeking to overturn the law.
The constitutionality of the law is being challenged and was the subject of a 12-day trial before McGinley that ended this month.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/pa-judge-bars-id-enforcement-nov-election-19985144
Local poll workers can ask voters to show IDs if they have them and distribute written material about the law, but they may not tell voters at the polls that photo IDs could be required in future elections, Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard McGinley said.
"There is no value in inaccurate information, and the court does not deem inaccurate information 'educational.' It is not a matter of confusion — it is a matter of accuracy," McGinley wrote.
McGinley's ruling marked the third consecutive election in which enforcement of the law has been blocked by court order.
After legal jousting that reached the state Supreme Court, a judge blocked enforcement in last year's presidential election and again in this year's municipal and judicial primary because of lingering concern that it could disenfranchise voters who lacked a valid photo ID.
The preliminary injunction will remain in effect until McGinley decides the case and rules on a request for a permanent injunction. Although his order does not mention the Nov. 5 election, both sides in the case sought to block enforcement of the law in that election.
"The intention certainly was that it would last through November," said Jennifer Clarke, director of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia who is helping represent plaintiffs seeking to overturn the law.
The constitutionality of the law is being challenged and was the subject of a 12-day trial before McGinley that ended this month.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/pa-judge-bars-id-enforcement-nov-election-19985144