Pa. Voter ID Law Could Keep My Daughter from Voting - Unless She Buys a Gun

[JPZenger]

My daughter will be turning 18 soon before this election, and she might not be able to vote in PA. because of the Voter ID Law - unless she buys a gun.

If she buys a gun and gets a firearms permit, she will be able to use her gun permit to vote. If she would be going to a college outside of PA, she could not use that photo ID to vote.

Unlike almost every other state in the Union, you can't vote in PA. unless you are registered 30 days before the election.

She wants to take the test for her driver's license, but it is literally impossible in my part of the state to get an appointment with PennDOT to take the driver's test during the summer. Her learner's permit doesn't have a photo, so it can't be used to vote. She has a high school photo ID, but that can't be used to vote.

She won't get her college photo ID until she goes away to college. If that college ID doesn't have a date printed on it, it can't be used to vote. (Until recently, very few college IDs had printed dates).

The voter ID law is still before the courts, but is currently in effect, including for the November elections. That is because the injunction expired. The Repubs only try to enforce it during general elections, not primaries.

The Repubs better make sure their law is upheld, because my daughter is so angry about marriage equality, PA's refusal to accept federal money for health care insurance, and the fact that so many of her favorite high school teachers were laid off that she is ready to vote a straight Dem ticket for the next few decades.

[msanthrope]

1. I'm in Philly--can she use my address to make an appointment with PennDot down here? PM me if you

think that would be helpful.

[Jenoch]

2. Does the Pennsylvania voter ID law

require the state to provide an ID at no cost? If so, she should be able to get a state issued ID that is not a driver's license. My mother quit driving the last several years of her life. Her driver's license expired and she got a state issued ID.


Edit:

Here is how your daughter will be able to vote in the election no matter what happens in the court case later this month.

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/driverlicensephotoidcenter/obtainingphotoid.shtml

[JPZenger]

5. Thanks for your response

A PA resident can take the driver's test anywhere, but the ones in our area are overloaded. Yes, I'll probably have to take her to another region of the state.

Yes, you can get a non-photo ID in PA. However, most people need an original "raised seal" birth certificate. Depending upon where you were born, that can take months and can cost a chunk of change. Birth certificates don't exist for some elderly persons who were born in the rural Deep South or other countries. Persons born in Puerto Rico (which are hundreds of thousands of PA residents) are having a helluva time because they invalidated all of the birth certificates that are less than a couple years old.

I like to think I know the political system pretty well, but this is confusing me. How about the poor schmuck who is not totally fluent in English, or is not internet-savvy, etc?

[Downwinder]

3. Let her come to Texas. Then she can vote in both TX and PA.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Candidate-voted-twice-in-same-elections-records-3937458.php

Neither state AG seems to mind. We can use more Dem. votes.

[HockeyMom]

4. Passport

Yes, it is expensive and will take around 6 weeks to get it, but a state cannot refuse to take a Federal Passport as ID. I use mine all the time in Florida.

There have been instances where I live in Florida and people have married in another state, and Florida will not issue a Driver's License in their Married names. Passport issed by the Feds in that new married name. Shove it bigot, states. You will not even KNOW that a person is married, straight or gay, from a Passport.

[JoDog]

6. Must she actually purchase a firearm?

In Illinois, a person can apply for, receive, and hold a firearm owner's identification card (ILFOID), our version of a gun permit, with actually ever buying a gun.

The acts of getting the ILFOID and purchasing the gun are separate. In fact, someone MUST have the ILFOID before buying the gun, i.e., hold the permit while not owning a gun.

I do know a few people in situations similar to that of your daughter who have gotten the ILFOID to use as a photo ID or as a backup/alternate photo ID who do not now own a gun and never intend to do so. The fee for the ILFOID is about the same as that of a state ID card but does not require a visit to the DMV. It can be applied for by mail.

It is far from a perfect solution, but double check with the permit-issuing body (probably the state police). It is very likely that she can just get the ID card under the assumption that she plans to get a gun at some unspecified future date. Then, she could simply "change" her mind about buying a gun and still would have the ID card until it expires.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. I remember when they expected the law to go into effect

and many of the retirement homes in this (western) part of the state were issuing photo ID's that were legal to vote with, even if you were not a resident or even whether you were old. I suspect that it was a silent protest of the law, but it really doesn't matter what the reason was.

I would keep my ears and eyes open for ways to get a proper ID for her. As November comes closer, there will be a lot of information on how to do it, including possible retirement home photo ID campaigns. Also, contact your representative and ask for information on how to get her one. I like the suggestion of getting a passport, but if money is an issue and she would have no reason to have one other than to vote, the law requires that an ID for voting only be issued. And if you do not have the raised seal birth certificate for her, get one for her now, before the last minute. I had to get one a few years back and it was easy and not very expensive (although I did have a driver's license to make it easy).

Demand answers from the people who put this law into effect------the legislators.

[femmocrat]

9. That's a good idea. Call your state rep or senator. nt

[femmocrat]

8. It is crazy that people have to jump through hoops just to vote.

The case is supposed to start around July 15 in Superior (not sure?) court.... Let's hope they hold the Voter ID law unconstitutional.