NCJW Welcomes Delay of Pennsylvania Voter ID Law
September 19, 2012, Washington, DC — The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) today welcomed the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to send the state’s new voter ID registration law back to the lower court for further consideration. NCJW CEO Nancy K. Kaufman released the following statement:
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to send the case challenging the state’s new voter ID law back to the lower court for further consideration gives Pennsylvania voters another chance to avoid being denied the right to vote in November by an unreasonable new voter ID law. NCJW worked diligently against the Pennsylvania voter ID law as it has to
defeat such laws in other states. We would have preferred that the state’s highest court simply strike down the law, but we welcome reconsideration by the lower court. Laws that require government-issued photo identification impose an undue burden on the poor, the elderly (primarily women), the young, and minority voters who often do not have access to the documentation legally required in order to obtain a voter ID.“We find it difficult to believe that the Pennsylvania Attorney General will be able to explain in a new hearing how this law could be implemented without undermining the basic right to vote for thousands of individuals. This damaging and unnecessary law should be overturned.”
NCJW has mobilized Jewish women across the country as part of its signature program Promote the Vote, Protect the Vote. This effort includes voter registration drives, Get-Out-The-Vote training, education about campaign finance and specific ballot initiatives and advocacy around voting rights. For decades, NCJW advocates have fought for the expansion of voting rights, advocating for women’s suffrage, the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Help America Vote Act of 1992, and more. In addition to Florida and Ohio, Promote the Vote, Protect the Vote initiatives are being organized in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.
The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.
Contact: Brianne Nadeau
202-265-3000 Brianne@rabinowitz-dorf.com