|
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Bill Kortz |
|
Kortz votes 'no' on Republican voter suppression bill
HARRISBURG, March 14 – State Rep. Bill Kortz, D- Allegheny, today voted against the so-called "Voter ID" bill that would disenfranchise residents and waste millions of dollars during a time the governor has proposed another round of painful budget cuts.
"This bill should be retitled as the 'Republican Voter Suppression Act,' as all it serves to do is deny Pennsylvania citizens one of their most fundamental rights, their constitutional right to vote," Kortz said.
Kortz said many organizations, including the League of Women Voters, AARP and the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, oppose House Bill 934.
The Brennan Center for Justice reported that as many as 11 percent of eligible voters do not have a government-issued photo they would need in order to vote under this legislation. Obtaining the identification will be time-consuming and for many, difficult, he said.
Gov. Tom Corbett's administration has said it would cost $4.3 million to implement the legislation. Other estimates portray the actual cost to be more like $11 million. Kortz added that there likely will be additional costs to defend the legislation in court. A judge in Wisconsin has struck down that state's voter identification after a legal challenge. The U.S. Justice Department blocked South Carolina's voter ID bill in December and has stepped in to block Texas’ voter ID law.
"Governor Corbett is busy slashing funding to education, to human services, saying we're too broke to fix our transportation crisis, and yet the GOP is pushing forward this bill that wastes time and money on a nonexistent problem," Kortz said.
###