Corbett says the numbers are on his side of voter ID law
Pennsylvania’s voter ID law has plenty of critics, but Governor Tom Corbett says they’re in the minority.
On Thursday, Corbett said, the people of Pennsylvania support Voter ID.
“Eighty-seven percent of the people have indicated that they believe we should have voter ID,” he said citing a poll that does indeed show overwhelming public support for Voter ID.
Franklin and Marshall College poll Director Terry Madonna says Corbett’s right.
“The fact is that virtually all polls have shown that there’s strong popular support for photo ID,” said Madonna.
Madonna conducted the poll Corbett cited — in December — before opponents of the law aired their concerns, and before House Majority Leader Mike Turzai’s controversial comments suggesting that the ID law would help Republicans win Pennsylvania.
“It seems to me that we need additional polling post House Majority Leader Turzai’s comments about assisting Mitt Romney, post the Commonwealth Court decision and the Court hearing this week,” said Madonna. “I do think we do need some additional polling that examines more features of the photo ID law. The question is whether the form of ID that the state approves is too narrow — too limiting an identification, and what that means to voters.”
The controversial legislation passed in March and Governor Corbett said Pennsylvanians have had plenty of time to secure the necessary identification ahead of the November election.
Tim Potts is co-founder of “Democracy Rising P-A,” the non-profit group that commissioned the poll. He said a lot of time has gone by: he pointed out that the poll Corbett mentioned was conducted months before the Voter ID law was passed.
“We look at the polling that’s happened since they passed the law and that’s far more compelling to us. In June it was 67 percent support, and in July it was 58 percent. So the more people understand about this law – the less popular support it has.”
Potts said he believes if a poll on Voter ID was conducted now, support for would be even lower.
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