Letter to the Editor: Voter ID Law Fixed Something Not Broken

Mick Wynne, Democratic candidate for the 53rd Legislative District, issued the following statement on Thursday after Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson ruled to uphold the law that requires every Pennsylvania voter to show a valid photo ID before being allowed to vote. 

PA House Republicans, in passing the Voter ID law earlier this year, have decided to step in front of many of us or our neighbors at the polls this election day, in a massive and expensive effort to fix something that isn’t broken.

House Bill 934 requires you to present a photo ID when you vote, and whether you mind handing over your driver’s license or not, it’s hard to see why it’s necessary at all.

When asked in court about how common in-person voter fraud is in our state, defenders of the law admitted there “have been no investigations or prosecutions of in-person voter fraud in Pennsylvania… or in other states”. If a law that tackles a fictional problem has no benefits, then all that remains are the costs.

In what will turn out to be an expensive task, PennDOT and the Department of State are now hurrying to issue thousands of official state photo ID’s that can be used only for election day. Our community poll workers will have to get used to stopping voters they’ve known for years. And of course, it will be much more difficult for 758,000 of our neighbors who lack a PA driver’s license to vote, the majority of which (students, people who live in the city, etc.) tend to vote for Democrats.

We expect our legislators to diligently protect our electoral system from real threats of fraud, but using the specter of fraud to obstruct so many voters who don’t agree with them is a demoralizing misuse of power.

But if there is a silver lining to all this, it is that we now see where House Republicans (including my opponent in the 53^rd District) stand on the issues.

Never mind the more than 3,300 violations of our state’s environmental laws committed by companies who drill here in Pennsylvania. Pay no attention to the continually decreasing funds for our children’s education across the state. Just look away if women’s rights aren’t being protected any more.

House Republicans know what matters, and have acted swiftly to preempt what they see as Pennsylvania’s largest threat: losing their seats. 

Mick Wynne
Democratic Candidate
53rd Legislative District