Politics & Government

Judge Strikes Down Pa. Voter ID Law

The law made it unnecessarily difficult to vote, the judge said.

A state judge on Friday morning struck down the requirement that Pennsylvania voters show identification in order to vote.

Judge Bernard L. McGinley said the law placed an unreasonable burden on those attempting to vote, The Associate Press reported, and that the state was unable to prove that such a law was needed.

The law’s detractors argued that that the photo ID requirement kept people from voting, while its supporters said that Pennsylvania residents had ample time and opportunity to obtain photo identification.

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McGinley’s ruling will likely be appealed to the state’s Supreme Court, the AP said. Republicans had strongly supported the law, and Gov. Tom Corbett signed it despite protests from Democrats.

The law, signed by Corbett in March 2012, has not been enforced since the 2012 general election.

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