Voter ID Case Goes to PA Supreme Court Thursday

Opponents of Pennsylvania's new will make their case Thursday before the state Supreme Court.

There's no timeframe for a ruling from the court, but the Nov. 6 general election is fast approaching. Oct. 9 is the last day to register to vote.

The PA Supreme Court is composed of three Republican and three Democratic justices. (A seventh judge was suspended while she faces criminal charges.)

A 3-3 tie would affirm the decision of the lower court, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report. The Commonwealth Court, in August, .

Supporters say that the law will prevent voter fraud and imposes the same photo ID standard required in many common circumstances.

Challengers say that the law is designed to disenfranchise poor and elderly voters who often support Democratic candidates. They cite as evidence state Rep. Mike Turzai's declaration that the law will allow Mitt Romney to win Pennsylvania in the upcoming presidential election.

A key question in the Supreme Court case will be how strictly courts should scrutinize voting rules, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report.

Also on Thursday, to Allegheny County election officials. The petitions have more than 15,000 signatures statewide and more than 4,000 from Allegheny County.

The group, led by Steven Singer, who started a SignOn.org petition, will meet at the Allegheny County Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh at 4 p.m. Shortly after, the group will march a block to the county election offices and deliver its petitions.

The group will then hold a press conference and be joined by people from the PA Interfaith Impact Network, other community members and politicians. To attend, RSVP by clicking here.

Voters can  at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation driver's license centers so that they can comply with the law. As of Friday, PennDOT had issued 7,226 IDs for voting purposes.

A few weeks ago, a federal three-judge panel ruled that a similar voter ID law in Texas discriminates against poor and minority voters. In a "friend of the court" brief filed against the Pennsylvania law, a group of law professors argued that federal courts have struck down less stringent laws in three other states—Missouri, Georgia and Wisconsin, according to this editorial on philly.com.

This article originally appeared on the .

 ---

Follow the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch on Facebook and Twitter.

Sign up for the daily Baldwin-Whitehall newsletter.