Pennsylvania Supreme Court Takes Appeal on Voter ID Law

A challenge to Pennsylvania’s voter ID law will be heard by the state Supreme Court.

The American Civil Liberties Union and 10 voters are challenging the requirement that voters show approved photo identification at the polls. A lower-court judge ruled last week that the plaintiffs didn’t prove it would disenfranchise voters.

“We appreciate that the court has agreed to take this important case on such short notice,” David Gersch, a lawyer for the ACLU with the firm Arnold & Porter LLP, said by e-mail.

Pennsylvania, one of nine states that passed laws requiring a photo ID to vote, became a test case in the voter-eligibility debate after a state analysis found as many as 9 percent of its electorate might be unable to vote for president.

Lawsuits over voting access are in courts in swing states, including Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin, where both Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns see a possibility of victory. Voter cases are also under way in Alabama, Texas and South Carolina.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to hear the case on an expedited basis, with written arguments due by Sept. 7 and oral arguments to be scheduled at its session in Philadelphia from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13, according to court records. The state argued that scheduling arguments for October in Pittsburgh is more realistic.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-23/pennsylvania-supreme-court-takes-appeal-on-voter-id-law