89 Year Old Grandmother forced to wait 4 hours for Voter ID in PA

[kpete]

THU AUG 23, 2012 AT 11:08 AM PDT
89 Year Old Grandmother forced to wait 4 hours for Voter ID in PA
by PoconoPCDoctor


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So I went to get my photo ID today. Left at 2:00; got back at 6:30. I had my 89-year-old Mother with me to make things even more intense. We got there and got our numbers - 230 and 231.

So I went to get my photo ID today. Left at 2:00; got back at 6:30. I had my 89-year-old Mother with me to make things even more intense. We got there and got our numbers - 230 and 231.

We went to sit down. They were on 151. Yes, 151; 230/231. The place was packed. After waiting for an hour with not much happening (I think they were on about 170 by then) I went to make sure we had the right numbers. Yes, you'll just have to wait a little while. We finally got called up at about 4:45. I had my whole life in an envelope - birth certificate, divorce decree, bills, SS Card, etc.

The woman didn't even ask me for ID. She said, "You have an expired driver's license so we're just going to use that picture," and she sent me to the next window where they handed me my new ID card. All in all, except for the everlasting waiting, it wasn't that bad, but I'm happy it's over.

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Sandra Carroll Lana, I am so afraid for some of the other seniors and those with disabilities who WON'T be able to sustain four hours. And if it's FOUR hours now, just imagine what it's going to be in a month from now. This is why I was so disgusted with the Judge. The injunction should have been granted on the basis of simple mathematics. Even if the numbers are one third as much as the predicted amount of voters without ID per PennDoT's own statistics, hell, even if it's one FOURTH, that means over a 100 extra people per day at every PennDoT licensing center, which are the only places you can get the ID's. The Judge said he was convinced the state was making good faith efforts to get everyone who needs it an ID. It's mathematically impossible. And he's ok with your elderly mother waiting four hours? I was horribly disappointed with him.
19 hours ago · Like

Lana M. Gavin Sandra, they don't even think of that stuff. They just don't care. All they want is to vote out Pres. Obama in any way they can. That's what made us so determined to stay and get our IDs. I even asked her if she wanted my daughter to take her home and she would have no part of that. We would just think of having those people in the White House and continued to be even more determined than before.
19 hours ago · Like · 1

Patricia Munoz so glad good folks are getting this done.
16 hours ago · Like · 1

lots more:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/23/1123409/-89-Year-Old-Grandmother-forced-to-wait-4-hours-for-Voter-ID-in-PA

[Wednesdays]

1. Well, she's old and therefore expendable

[Ezlivin]

2. They let her leave work?

What's sad is that now we are coming to expect to keep working the remainder of our lives.

I hope that articles like the one you posted will create enough backlash to overturn the horrible Voter ID laws.

I hope.

[Lionessa]

4. Actually I think it shows people's willingness to adapt to laws, and therefore

the law won't be changed.

I fear the same with Citizens' United, when Obama wins, everyone will just say, "I guess all that money didn't matter," and CU will stand. I fear this is the very reason Repubs have a loser at the top of the ticket, they want to lose this one to lay the groundwork for the future wherein folks won't be paying attention to money as much anymore and on state and local and judicial levels, all will go to hell while Obama is stuck with four more years of "NO" and we continue to head down the path of religiously manipulated oligarchy.

Clarification: "NO" meaning that the GOP is the party of "NO," not saying Obama is saying "no".

[Ezlivin]

6. Agree. And we'll let our corrupt voting practices continue, too.

If the events of 2000 and 2004 didn't awaken people to our flawed voting system, nothing will.

I'm surprised that the Democrats didn't more vigorously pursue the anomalies in the 2004 election, particularly in Ohio.

[Lionessa]

3. I'm a little confused how she is counting drive time, which seems quite a bit, in

the wait time. If she was herded through pretty quickly after 4:45, then that puts the drive at 1.5 or more likely 2 hours, so the wait was 2 hours. I waited nearly three for a food stamp interview, not counting drive time, and not in PA.

The good news is they are busy which means people who were about to be disenfranchised want to be counted.

That is very good news.

[Cha]

5. Sorry, it was so intense and they had

to wait so long. Bring books! But, I'm so glad they were willing to do it and it's Done! For them, at least..Good Luck to future applicants..

gopricks can make voter suppression laws but we are fighting back!

[SoCalDem]

7. Yes they DO "think of stuff like that"

"Lana M. Gavin Sandra, they don't even think of that stuff. They just don't care. All they want is to vote out Pres. Obama in any way they can. That's what made us so determined to stay and get our IDs. I even asked her if she wanted my daughter to take her home and she would have no part of that. We would just think of having those people in the White House and continued to be even more determined than before."

They thought it all out CAREFULLY..

They deliberately created as many flaming hoops as possible to discourage the elderly, the ones with jobs that they would have to take unpaid leave from (if they could even get the day off), the ones with no transportation, the ill, etc.

Part of the plan is to turn people away in every way possible..

It they had truly wanted to make voting EASY, they would have sent all registered voters who had voted since 2004, a laminated Voter ID card, and told them they needed to bring another separate ID (photo preferred) to verify..and then they would have started the more rigorous ID plan for NEW voters registering.