In Philly, demonstrators rally against Pa. voter ID bill

Philadelphia Commissioner Stephanie Singer led a rally against the Pennsylvania voter ID bill Thursday in a park a few blocks from City Hall.

The bill would require voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Opponents say the bill will disenfranchise the poor and elderly who may not have photo IDs. Already passed in the Senate, the bill awaits a House vote and then Gov. Tom Corbett’s signature to become law.

“When we have young people going overseas to fight and sometimes die and often come home wounded in the name of democracy, we owe it to them, we owe them the honor of protecting democracy here at home,” Singer said.While Singer expects the bill to pass, she said it should be a wake-up call for Philadelphians who can vote to get out to the polls.

“The bill is aimed at Philadelphia. And it’s aimed to suppress the vote in Philadelphia … so I would ask everyone, if you don’t vote regularly, start voting regularly,” she said. “If you do vote regularly start talking to your friends and family about voting regularly.”Republican lawmakers say the bill will prevent voter fraud. They’ve suggested a test run of the bill in the April 24 primary. If the bill becomes law, as expected, it will go into effect before November’s general election.