Posted: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 5:30 am | Updated: 9:51 am, Wed Nov 7, 2012.
Posted on November 7, 2012
A handful of Bucks County voters claimed they experienced confusion at the polls when they — or others — refused to show photo identification. Some alleged it was a form of subtle voter intimidation.Pennsylvania voters were not required to show valid photo identification Tuesday. However, election workers were told to ask for identification at the polls, according to the state secretary of the commonwealth. To spot-check how workers were asking for ID, Carol Aichele visited polling places in Southeastern Pennsylvania, including districts in Doylestown and Blue Bell.
Bucks County Democratic Party Chairman John Cordisco confirmed his office received many complaints early Tuesday involving the voter ID law, but they had subsided by late morning.
“I think most, most of that has been resolved, but early on it was problematic,” Cordisco added. “You want to believe this wasn’t done intentionally.”
Philadelphia’s Committee of Seventy had a team leader following up on complaints in Bucks County, but that person was not immediately available for comment.
Bucks County spokesman Chris Edwards confirmed the county was aware of a complaint involving a Yardley constable who greeted morning voters at a polling place wearing his uniform and badge and displaying a flier with voter ID information that some said made it appear as if ID was required.
A voter protection attorney was summoned and the constable was told it was illegal in Pennsylvania for him to be in uniform inside the polls.
Throughout the day, election protection attorneys investigated complaints of alleged voter intimidation involving identification requests, according to multiple sources. One of the attorneys in Bristol Township said she worked for the Obama campaign.
Both parties also had poll watchers monitoring precincts and reporting problems.
Some Bucks County residents, though, contended that some election workers were misinforming voters about the law.
While waiting in line to vote at his polling place on Second Street Pike shortly after 7 a.m., Northampton resident Howard Katz said that a GOP poll worker announced to the waiting crowd that they should get out their photo identification.
Katz said that he told the worker he was not going to show his identification since it was not required for this election. In the end, Katz said no one asked him for identification before he voted, though he did report the exchange to an Obama poll watcher.
“I’d call this borderline intimidation,” Katz added. “It was very, very wrong.”
In other places voters were confused by the request for identification. Complicating matters, photo identification is required under federal law for some voters, including first-time voters at a particular district, officials said.
“We’ve had a lot of people come in and say they don’t want to show ID or they refused to show ID,” said Hannie Banister, Judge of Elections in Tinicum. “So we’ve simply done what we’re supposed to do and give them the literature that shows them that it may become a requirement for the next election. But there are people who have very strong feelings about it,” Banister added.
In Montgomery Township, officials said the only hold-up resulted from those who refused to show ID and wanted to discuss the matter.
“It is people who are standing on principle that are slowing down the process significantly today when we already have lines.” said Richard Bense, election judge in Montgomery Township.
“We have had some voters with very strong opinions on the issue who have delivered that opinion in a confrontational tone,” said Bense. “They tell us, ‘I don’t have to show it and I won’t.’ “
“We had a couple people grumble but only one person gave us any real flak,” according to Horsham Judge of Elections T. Wayne Lankford.
Ironically, when the clerk checked his name in the registration book, there was a direction to ask the voter for identification because he had not voted in some time, said Lankford.
The man subsequently produced photo identification, Lankford added.
Signs were posted on doors to polls in various North Penn communities that read, “ID Not Required to Vote Today.” These signs included a disclaimer that they were paid for by the Lansdale Democratic Committee.
Bucks Elections Director Deena Dean said the long lines reported at many polling places were common for most presidential elections and not the result of voter ID.
“I don’t agree with the suggestion that the lines are longer because of the voter ID,” said Dean. “Every presidential election there’s a line. There’s always a bottleneck at the table. There are a number of steps that must take place and voter ID is just one of them.”
Greg Marchand of Doylestown disagreed. Marchand said he was allowed to vote at his borough hall Tuesday only after “pleading” with a poll worker there.
The 23-year-old college student said the election worker began to question him after he voluntarily showed his driver’s license, which included a Philadelphia address.
Marchand said he briefly lived in Philadelphia while attending college there but has since moved back to Doylestown.
“It really felt like they were accusing me of voter fraud,” he said. “After essentially pleading with this woman, she let me vote, and the whole time the line behind me was getting longer.”
After she and her husband refused to show their identification at their polling place at the Lower Makefield Township Building, Susan Fiordeliso said that an election official wrote down their names on a separate piece of paper.
The woman said that no voters before – or after them — who showed their identification had their names written down.
At the entrance to the Anchor Run Church polling place in Wrightstown, someone set up two large signs that read, “Please have your Photo ID Ready.” The signs were discovered when the polls opened. Neither party took responsibility for the signs; Cordisco said that he ordered them removed.
At the Morrisville library, resident Dorothy Murphy claimed that an election worker was demanding people show identification when she was in line to vote around 7:30 a.m.
Murphy said she witnessed the election worker tell a black woman that she had to show her identification. She said the woman produced ID, though she told the election worker it was her understanding it was not required.
The election worker then told the woman that her identification was “expired,” Murphy said, adding the woman insisted that the ID was not required and she was allowed to vote.
When it was her turn to vote, Murphy said the same election worker demanded that she produce identification, telling her it’s the law. Murphy said she told the woman the law doesn’t take effect until next year.
Murphy also was allowed to vote, she said, adding she reported the incident to the election protection hotline and to Democratic headquarters.
“It’s how they’re presenting it,” she said. “It’s very slick what they’re doing.”
Bucks County Democratic Party Chairman John Cordisco confirmed his office received many complaints early Tuesday involving the voter ID law, but they had subsided by late morning.
“I think most, most of that has been resolved, but early on it was problematic,” Cordisco added. “You want to believe this wasn’t done intentionally.”
Philadelphia’s Committee of Seventy had a team leader following up on complaints in Bucks County, but that person was not immediately available for comment.
Bucks County spokesman Chris Edwards confirmed the county was aware of a complaint involving a Yardley constable who greeted morning voters at a polling place wearing his uniform and badge and displaying a flier with voter ID information that some said made it appear as if ID was required.
A voter protection attorney was summoned and the constable was told it was illegal in Pennsylvania for him to be in uniform inside the polls.
Throughout the day, election protection attorneys investigated complaints of alleged voter intimidation involving identification requests, according to multiple sources. One of the attorneys in Bristol Township said she worked for the Obama campaign.
Both parties also had poll watchers monitoring precincts and reporting problems.
Some Bucks County residents, though, contended that some election workers were misinforming voters about the law.
While waiting in line to vote at his polling place on Second Street Pike shortly after 7 a.m., Northampton resident Howard Katz said that a GOP poll worker announced to the waiting crowd that they should get out their photo identification.
Katz said that he told the worker he was not going to show his identification since it was not required for this election. In the end, Katz said no one asked him for identification before he voted, though he did report the exchange to an Obama poll watcher.
“I’d call this borderline intimidation,” Katz added. “It was very, very wrong.”
In other places voters were confused by the request for identification. Complicating matters, photo identification is required under federal law for some voters, including first-time voters at a particular district, officials said.
“We’ve had a lot of people come in and say they don’t want to show ID or they refused to show ID,” said Hannie Banister, Judge of Elections in Tinicum. “So we’ve simply done what we’re supposed to do and give them the literature that shows them that it may become a requirement for the next election. But there are people who have very strong feelings about it,” Banister added.
In Montgomery Township, officials said the only hold-up resulted from those who refused to show ID and wanted to discuss the matter.
“It is people who are standing on principle that are slowing down the process significantly today when we already have lines.” said Richard Bense, election judge in Montgomery Township.
“We have had some voters with very strong opinions on the issue who have delivered that opinion in a confrontational tone,” said Bense. “They tell us, ‘I don’t have to show it and I won’t.’ “
“We had a couple people grumble but only one person gave us any real flak,” according to Horsham Judge of Elections T. Wayne Lankford.
Ironically, when the clerk checked his name in the registration book, there was a direction to ask the voter for identification because he had not voted in some time, said Lankford.
The man subsequently produced photo identification, Lankford added.
Signs were posted on doors to polls in various North Penn communities that read, “ID Not Required to Vote Today.” These signs included a disclaimer that they were paid for by the Lansdale Democratic Committee.
Bucks Elections Director Deena Dean said the long lines reported at many polling places were common for most presidential elections and not the result of voter ID.
“I don’t agree with the suggestion that the lines are longer because of the voter ID,” said Dean. “Every presidential election there’s a line. There’s always a bottleneck at the table. There are a number of steps that must take place and voter ID is just one of them.”
Greg Marchand of Doylestown disagreed. Marchand said he was allowed to vote at his borough hall Tuesday only after “pleading” with a poll worker there.
The 23-year-old college student said the election worker began to question him after he voluntarily showed his driver’s license, which included a Philadelphia address.
Marchand said he briefly lived in Philadelphia while attending college there but has since moved back to Doylestown.
“It really felt like they were accusing me of voter fraud,” he said. “After essentially pleading with this woman, she let me vote, and the whole time the line behind me was getting longer.”
After she and her husband refused to show their identification at their polling place at the Lower Makefield Township Building, Susan Fiordeliso said that an election official wrote down their names on a separate piece of paper.
The woman said that no voters before – or after them — who showed their identification had their names written down.
At the entrance to the Anchor Run Church polling place in Wrightstown, someone set up two large signs that read, “Please have your Photo ID Ready.” The signs were discovered when the polls opened. Neither party took responsibility for the signs; Cordisco said that he ordered them removed.
At the Morrisville library, resident Dorothy Murphy claimed that an election worker was demanding people show identification when she was in line to vote around 7:30 a.m.
Murphy said she witnessed the election worker tell a black woman that she had to show her identification. She said the woman produced ID, though she told the election worker it was her understanding it was not required.
The election worker then told the woman that her identification was “expired,” Murphy said, adding the woman insisted that the ID was not required and she was allowed to vote.
When it was her turn to vote, Murphy said the same election worker demanded that she produce identification, telling her it’s the law. Murphy said she told the woman the law doesn’t take effect until next year.
Murphy also was allowed to vote, she said, adding she reported the incident to the election protection hotline and to Democratic headquarters.
“It’s how they’re presenting it,” she said. “It’s very slick what they’re doing.”
3 comments:
WOW (Wigged Out Wacko)
I was asked if I "had" ID.
I said "Yes".
The poll worker looked at me and I looked back.
After an uncomfortable three seconds,she understood that I wasn't going to show it.
Then I voted. No ID.
Don't let theses pinheads intimidate you.
My Mother has an expired ID card (non driver license). Our poll worker at Grandview said, politely I might add " I am supposed to ask you if you have an ID on you but if you do not that is okay". My mother handed her the expired ID anyway which the worker thanked her as it made it easier to look up her name on the list.
I provided my Driver license as well for the same reason, easier for her to look up my name then me repeat the spelling several times because everyone also looks under "C" first. Thankyou Grandview workers for a job well done
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