Hundreds rally in Harrisburg to protest Pa. voter ID law
Hundreds of people opposed to Pennsylvania’s voter ID law were in Harrisburg to protest the measure Tuesday.
The state’s law requiring photo identification at the polls was likened to Jim Crow segregation laws by those who chanted and sang on the steps of the state Capitol.
Members of labor unions, the AARP, churches, and other groups rallied for two hours.
Jerry Mondesire, president of the state chapter of the NAACP, says the voter ID is like a poll tax — putting one more barrier between people and the polls.
He gets cheers as he mentions the recent letter from federal authorities to the Pennsylvania State Department.
The federal agency has asked the state for a long list of information related to its compliance with federal voting laws.
Commonwealth Secretary Carol Aichele spoke to reporters right after the NAACP rally.
The gathering was closed to the public, but a crowd chanted outside.
Aichele says she hopes they do more than protest.
“Focus that energy, go home and find five people who need transportation to a PennDOT driver ID center and take those people to get photo IDs,” she said.
At the rally, speakers encouraged the assembled to do just that.
The next step, they said, is to beat voter ID in court.
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