Poll Finds Strong Support for New Pennsylvania Voter ID Law
A recent poll by the Inquirer Pennsylvania regarding the state's controversial voter ID law shows that nearly two-thirds of likely voters support requiring those who show up to vote to produce a government issued photo.
But perhaps the most revealing data from the poll is the deep division between the major political parties on the issue. For example, 85 percent of Republicans polled support the law versus only 51 percent of Democrats surveyed.
Broken down between races, 69 percent of white voters support the measure while only 31 percent of black voters think producing a photo ID is a good idea.
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According to the Inquirer, "94 percent said it would not be difficult for them to obtain the necessary ID to vote. Three percent reported it would be 'somewhat difficult,' 2 percent 'very difficult,' and 1 percent said they did not know or declined to answer."
However the issue raised by liberals is not the difficulty in obtaining a valid ID, but the issue that such laws are a throwback to Jim Crow laws of the early twentieth century that were enacted to discourage blacks and other minorities from voting.
In mid-August a Pennsylvania judge ruled that the new law requiring a photo ID is legal and can be in effect for November's presidential election. Similar laws have been challenged by the Justice Department, and Attorney General Eric Holder has said his attorneys are committed to fighting the laws in every state where they believe a legal chance exist to overturn them.
The ruling has been appealed and this coming Thursday the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear arguments on the legality of the law.
For the Obama campaign's part, it has worked to minimize the effect of the new requirement if it indeed is upheld at the state's Supreme Court. Volunteers making calls in Pennsylvania have been instructed to ask those they call or encounter at doorsteps if they need any assistance in obtaining a valid ID.
According to volunteer Elisabeth Sims, she hasn't encountered many problems.
"In my phone calls, I haven't had one person who's said that they didn't have ID, and I've made hundreds of calls," Sims told Real Clear Politics.
The latest Pennsylvania poll also conducted by the Inquirer shows Obama with a 50-39 percent lead over GOP challenger Mitt Romney.
