People who have lost their right to vote in PA thanks to the new ID law

[appleannie1]

Viviette Applewhite
Viviette Applewhite, 93, Philadelphia Ms. Applewhite is an African-American woman born in 1919 in Philadelphia. Ms. Applewhite worked as a welder during World War II in the Sun Shipyard in Chester, Pennsylvania. Ms. Applewhite married and raised a daughter who for decades worked for various federal, Pennsylvania, and municipal government agencies. Now a widow, Ms. Applewhite has lived in Philadelphia for more than twenty years and enjoys five grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and four great-great grandchildren. She has voted in nearly every election since at least 1960. Ms. Applewhite marched to support civil rights for African-Americans with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Macon, Georgia, and traveled on several occasions to hear him preach in Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. Ms. Applewhite does not have and has been unable to obtain photo identification required by Pennsylvania's voter photo ID law and thus after voting at nearly every election for more than 50 years will be unable to cast a ballot this November.


Wilola Lee
Wilola Lee, 59, Philadelphia Ms. Lee is an African-American woman born in rural Wilkerson County, Georgia. She was raised by her grandmother, who moved her to Philadelphia in 1957, where she has lived ever since. Ms. Lee finished the eleventh grade, married, and raised two children, one of whom is a former school principal and now works for the Pennsylvania state government. Ms. Lee worked for the Philadelphia Public Schools for many years, including work with special needs children. Her husband passed away six years ago. Ms. Lee has been voting for decades and worked as a poll worker in the city of Philadelphia. She has been trying for nearly ten years to get a birth certificate that she will need to get a photo ID to vote, but the state of Georgia has told her they have no record of her birth. Ms. Lee does not have and has been unable to obtain photo identification required by Pennsylvania's Photo ID Law, and thus after voting in nearly every election for more than 30 years, she will be unable to do so in November.

Grover Freeland, 72, Philadelphia Mr. Freeland is an African-American man born in Buffalo, NY. He is a U.S. Army Veteran who was drafted in 1964 and served two years stateside before being honorably discharged. He thereafter graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters degree from Philadelphia's University of the Arts. Mr. Freeland worked many jobs over the years, including in his own photography businesses, until 2004, when he retired. He is formerly married and has five children. He believes that if a person is good enough to put his life on the line in the army then he should be able to vote. Mr. Freeland has not had a drivers' license since the 1980's. His only photo ID card is what is known as a "veterans card," which is issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. While it contains encoded information on sensitive matters, like his medical records, the card is not recognized as valid by Pennsylvania's voter photo ID Law. Mr. Freeland has tried unsuccessfully to retrieve his birth certificate, which he will need to get a photo ID acceptable to vote, from the state of New York. Consequently, come November this veteran of the U.S. Armed Services will be unable to show the requisite identification and will not be able to vote.
more at this link
http://www.aclupa.org/legal/legaldocket/applewhiteetalvcommonwealt/voteridclients.htm

And yet a judge has ruled that the new law will not disenfranchise anyone or prevent any Pennsylvania citizen from voting. Disgusting.

[ananda]

1. Can they wage a class action lawsuit or something?

nt

[madashelltoo]

2. Fucking ridiculous!!!

These folks are risking an uprising the likes of which I don't think they need. Not a race war either. They are disenfranchising lots of folks of every persuasion. How do they expect to ask folks to serve a military in a country that does not acknowledge there existence when its time to vote? This shit is embarrassing to me on more levels than I want to discuss.

[The Link]

3. Minority voter supression is the only reason for these laws.

[demosincebirth]

4. That was quite obvious and pretty blatant from the very start. I have never hated people,

but these republicans have started to bring out my hatred. Also, the Judges who upheld these stupid laws are just as guilty.