VITAL Voter ID Bill is Criticized as Partisanship

Today, Daily News reporter John Baer  wrote a story on new legislation that would require voters to show government-issued photo IDs at polling places.  What I find odd is that the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters and most Democrats oppose this simple, common-sense law that would drastically curb voter fraud in Pennsylvania. 

Anyone following the heated City Commissioner's race can attest to the myriad of voter irregularities that have plagued elections in Philadelphia for upwards of a half-century.  It's also common knowledge that machine-politics on both sides of the aisle have long discouraged election reform and modernization of the process as it takes some of the shady "tools" (to include fraudulent petition-signings, dead voters, and rigging voter registrations) at their disposal away.  However, the opposition to this bill doesn't come from the party bosses we would expect it to come from, it comes from rights activists who somehow equate an identification card with economic status.

The ACLU called the law requiring voters to show their ID "voter suppression," unnecessary and costly, even though the polling place is supposed to have their name on the voter rolls when they arrive. The ACLU cites a 2006 study by the "Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law" (which doesn't sound at all liberally-biased) saying that 11 percent of the voting-age population lacks photo IDs, including 18 percent of seniors, 25 percent of African-Americans and 15 percent of those with incomes under $35,000.  So instead of working to correct the contributing factor as to why these groups are somehow having trouble obtaining a state-issued identification card that ranges from free to $30.00, the ACLU are opposing a bill that will clean up voter fraud and restore integrity to elections effecting the very communities they are "representing"?

That makes no sense.

It's apparent that the bill, which is sponsored by State Government Committee Chairman Daryl Metcalfe, (R-Butler), a noted conservative, is being derided as a political ploy.  Reporter Baer asked Metcalfe if he was creating barriers for "certain" voters.  Metcalfe replied: "No barriers," "The state will issue a photo ID free of charge." Metcalfe further cited other states with the law where Democratic voting "actually increased", to include Indiana and Georgia.

In elections marred with fraud, illegal voting tactics, and special interest groups (to include Acorn); it's important to verify that the voter is only voting once, and has the right as an American to do so.

What are your thoughts?