Philadelphia – January 17th, 2014 – Today, Senator Vincent Hughes released the following statement on the decision by Judge Benard McGinley of Commonwealth Court finding that Pennsylvania’s Voter ID law is unconstitutional:
“This decision is a tremendous victory for democracy and the voters of Pennsylvania. The Corbett Administration has been defending a flawed and punitive law that restricts access to the polls. It is designed to suppress votes. We have already wasted millions of dollars on this law, including $1 million for a misleading ad campaign. These are funds that could have been used to educate our children and create jobs.
“I am pleased that the court has officially found what I and many others have been saying: This law will disenfranchise the rights of hundreds of thousands of voters and should be struck from the books.
“The Corbett Administration should not appeal this ruling. The facts show that this law is about the systematic disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of individuals – mostly the poor, the elderly, students and racial minorities. No matter how you portray the law, it is still about voter disenfranchisement and nothing else.
“This ruling clearly indicates that it’s time for the Governor to end his campaign of voter suppression. We know from public statements made by the House Majority Leader that the real goal of the Voter ID law was to help the Republican Party win the presidential election in 2012. The voters spoke and that effort failed. The Commonwealth has already wasted enough time and money on this issue, which is clearly unconstitutional.”
State Senator Vincent Hughes represents the 7th Senatorial District which includes parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County. He is also the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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