HARRISBURG, September 17, 2012 – State Sen. Wayne D. Fontana (D-Brookline) today said he is “disappointed” in the Corbett Administration’s decision to not bring Voter ID services into neighborhoods.
“I am disappointed that the Administration fails to recognize the importance in making the process of obtaining a voter ID easier and more convenient for those who lack the necessary photo identification,” Fontana said.
“For those voters who do not possess a driver’s license, getting themselves to a Driver’s License Center is a serious challenge. Unless the Supreme Court strikes down this law, tens of thousands of voters in Allegheny County will be disenfranchised, simply by lacking the means to get to one of only four Driver’s License Centers in the county.”
On August 17th, Sen. Fontana wrote a letter to the Governor, asking him to bring these services into neighborhoods all across the Commonwealth, in an effort to ensure all voters have the ability to receive a photo ID card needed to vote in November’s election. Sen. Fontana requested the Governor authorize all state legislative offices to produce the photo identification, or at the very least, establish centers in neighborhoods where individuals could go to obtain the necessary ID. Even the concept of allowing state offices to serve as intermediaries where individuals could go and get their photo taken and have their paperwork forwarded to PennDOT was denied.
“If the Commonwealth is going to require all voters to produce an acceptable photo ID to cast a vote, then we should be making the process of acquiring the ID as simple and convenient as possible, especially in light of the fact that Election Day is less than two months away. Unfortunately, this law does not do that and the Administration is not willing to make the necessary adjustments that would allow everyone wishing to vote that opportunity.”
# # #