Letter to the Editor: Unhappy With Voter ID Law

Governor Corbett signed into law the Voter Suppression and Intimidation Law.  He announced that he would sign it as soon as it passed the legislature.  When it passed, it was rushed to his desk and he signed it without regard for the people he is supposed to represent.

With this law he has successfully turned back the hands of time.  Remember Women’s Suffrage, where women were denied their right to vote because of their gender.  Remember President John F. Kennedy, along with Reverend Martin Luther King, fighting for equal rights for all.  This included the right for all to vote in every state in the union.

I have spoken with many about this suppression of voting rights.  The only excuse I have heard is we need a photo ID to buy alcohol, and a photo on our driver’s license to drive a car. We have to remember that buying alcohol is a privilege. Driving a car is a privilege. Voting is a right!

This legislation requires every voter to show photo ID before they vote.  My own mother voted in every election from 1935 on for the rest of her life.  With this legislation she would not have been able to vote after she gave up her driver’s license.  This is not fair!  We have young people who either do not drive or live where they do not need a car.  They will not be able to exercise their right to vote!  We have handicapped individuals who do not have photo ID.  They will not be able to exercise their right to vote! We cannot exclude all of these people from the voter rolls, because of something that is out of their control.

Our Governor and our state legislators--both our state senators, and our state representatives--who voted for this legislation to take away our rights as citizens need to hear from all of us. They did something that is wrong and they know it!

In other countries in the world, people stand in line for hours, and sometimes even for days to cast a vote.  Some of these people are under threat of death, and yet 98-percent of them exercise their right to vote.

I have worked the polls on Election Day for 25 years.  I feel it is my duty as an American--not only to vote--but also to help my fellow American’s to exercise there right to vote.  Here in this wonderful country of ours we are free to speak our minds without fear, and yet on a good election day we can normally only expect about 30% of the registered voters to vote.  That is not all the eligible voters, only those who have registered to vote.

With this Voter Suppression and Intimidation Law, that number will reduce significantly!

Many people live in fear of their government. That is not how it is supposed to be.

We have government of the people, for the people, and by the people.

Elected officials are your friends and neighbors.  Once you get out of the local arena, you may not know these people personally, but they are good people just like you and I.  County officials, state senators and representatives, US Congress, US Senate, and yes, even the President.  They have all started in the same place, regular citizens wanting to help their fellow Americans. Sometimes they lose their way and cast votes without thinking about the rest of us.  That is when it is our job to lead them back on track.

This Voter Suppression and Intimidation Law is one of those times.  We have to tell Gov Corbett, our state representatives, and senators that we want our rights protected.

We want the Voter Suppression and Intimidation Law repealed.

Jack Hansen

Borough Councilman, Lansdale, PA