Politics & Government

Poll: Judge Denies Injunction Against Voter ID Law

Will this decision stick? Both sides had said they would appeal this ruling.

A Commonwealth Court decided against blocking the Voter ID Law Wednesday, which affirms Gov. Corbett's measure that intended to prevent voter fraud.

Judge Robert Simpson rejected civil rights groups' request for an injunction to delay the new voter identification law from going into effect.

The challenge to the law was brought by voter advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP.

It’s unclear what this decision will actually mean, since both sides had vowed to appeal the judgement if it didn’t go their way.

Pennsylvania passed a law in March requiring all registered voters to show a valid and “acceptable” photo ID before voting. This is one of the strictest voter ID laws in the nation. 

Opponents of the law say it disproportionately targets the elderly as well as the poor and minorities, who typically vote Democrat. Furthermore, critics say that the burden of obtaining an acceptable ID for these people would keep them from voting.

Thirty states have some sort of Voter ID law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, of those, 19 do not require a photo, six require a photo and five, including Pennsylvania, have strict photo requirements.

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