What the Republicans are up to in Pennsylvania

A New York polling place, showing booths on the left. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I live in Haverford Township, a rock-solid Republican bastion west of Philadelphia.  This morning I arrived at our polling place, the Manoa Fire Station, at about 7:00.  The line of voters waiting for the polls to open was already 25 or 30 long.  Soon after my wife and I got into line, the voting began.

When we were with a half dozen voters of the registration table, I observed two black people, the only people of color in line at the time, being given a hard time by the old gals behind the table.  Apparently one of the couple, the husband, had presented a driver's license which failed in some way to conform with what the gals had in their big book.  After being thoroughly embarrassed, the couple were finally allowed to cast their ballots.

When my wife and I had our turn, we were asked for our IDs.   I replied, "You know perfectly well we don't have to."  "well, you will next time," she replied.  "We'll see," I said.

The experience of the black couple in front of us is a textbook example of why this so-called "practice run" of "requesting" IDs is yet another sham to disenfranchise as many people of color, foreign-born (as two seemed to be) and poor citizens.

I can only hope that PA's Committee of 70 is on the alert for such shenanigans today.

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