Fwd: PA Senate passes Voter Suppression Bill,

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: West PA Black Political Assembly <wpbpa2006@fastmail.fm>


I also regret to inform you that the voter suppression bill passed, But I would also remind you of what happen in South Carolina    

"Justice Dept. rejects South Carolina voter ID law, calling it discriminatory

　By Jerry Markon,

Washington Post

Friday, December 23, 2011 4:05 PM

The Justice Department on Friday entered the divisive national debate over new state voting laws, rejecting South Carolina's measure requiring photo-identification at the polls as discriminatory against minority voters."

 
Never say die... Thanks to those that gave us their support.
 
E. Rich Phipps
WPBPA
 
 
 
----- Original message -----
From: "Marian Schneider" <marianesq@mac.com>

Subject: Fwd: PA Senate passes Voter Suppression Bill,
From Jeff Garis




Dear Protect Our Vote allies,

 

I regret to inform you that the Senate of Pennsylvania just passed the Voter Suppression Bill (HB 934) by a vote of 26 to 23.   All 20 Democrats voted "no", joined by 3 Republicans -- Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, Sen. Mary Jo White, and Sen. Jane Earll.  The roll call is listed below.

 

The legislation will now go back the House for a concurrence vote since it wasamended in the Senate State Government Committee (to include photo ID cards from accredited colleges & universities in PA, 1-year expired PennDOT ID, & photo IDs from care facilities) and in the Senate Appropriations Committee (to include municipal government employee photo ID cards).

 

Additional follow-up action steps and a fuller report on today's vote will be forthcoming, but for now let me encourage you to send communications to the senators who voted in favor of voter suppression, as well as "thank you" message to the senators who took a stand in defense of voting rights.  ["Senate Accountability Email Templates" are included below.]  In the roll call, I've included links to each senator's webpage, where you can find their phone/fax numbers & email addresses.   Additionally, if your organization has the capacity to send a press release in response to today's vote, specifically noting the votes of senators in the media market, please do so as soon as possible.  I have attached a template press release for those of you who would like to use it – feel free to adapt it to suit your organization's focus.

 

And let me just say thank you to all of you for your tremendous efforts to fight this attack on voting rights.  We have been told that phone calls coming into senate offices for the past few days have been 8-1 against HB 934, so our mobilizing efforts have been phenomenal.  While this appalling voter suppression bill passed the Senate today, we as advocates have not failed.  It is the 26 senators who voted in favor of voter suppression this afternoon who have failed their constituents, have failed their sworn oath to defend the Constitution, and have failed to defend this central principle of democracy.  This is a shameful day in Pennsylvania history.

 

We have a lot of work ahead of us to educate the public & ensure that all eligible voters get the ID they will need in order to vote this November.

 

Jeff

 

P.S.  If you are in the Philadelphia area tomorrow afternoon, I encourage you to attend & support the press conference being held by Philadelphia City Commissioner Stephanie Singer at Love Park, 15th St & JFK Blvd, Philadelphia, at 2:00.

 

HB 934 SENATE ROLL CALL

 

YES" Votes on HB 934:

Alloway, Richard L., II (R) - District 33
Argall, David G. (R) - District 29
Baker, Lisa (R) - District 20
Browne, Patrick M. (R) - District 16
Brubaker, Mike (R) - District 36
Corman, Jake (R) - District 34
Eichelberger, John H., Jr. (R) - District 30
Erickson, Edwin B. (R) - District 26
Folmer, Mike (R) - District 48
Gordner, John R. (R) - District 27
McIlhinney, Charles T., Jr. (R) - District 10
Mensch, Bob (R) - District 24
Orie, Jane Clare (R) - District 40
Piccola, Jeffrey E. (R) - District 15
Pileggi, Dominic (R) - District 9
Pippy, John (R) - District 37
Rafferty, John C., Jr. (R) - District 44
Robbins, Robert D. (R) - District 50
Scarnati, Joseph B., III (R) - District 25
Tomlinson, Robert M. (R) - District 6
Vance, Patricia H. (R) - District 31
Vogel, Elder A., Jr. (R) - District 47
Ward, Kim L. (R) - District 39
Waugh, Michael L. (R) - District 28
White, Donald C. (R) - District 41

"NO" Votes on HB 934:

Earll, Jane M. (R) - District 49
Greenleaf, Stewart J. (R) - District 12
White, Mary Jo (R) - District 21
Blake, John P. (D) - District 22
Boscola, Lisa M. (D) - District 18
Brewster, James R. (D) - District 45
Costa, Jay (D) - District 43
Dinniman, Andrew E. (D) - District 19
Farnese, Lawrence M., Jr. (D) - District 1
Ferlo, Jim (D) - District 38
Fontana, Wayne D. (D) - District 42
Hughes, Vincent J. (D) - District 7
Kasunic, Richard A (D) - District 32
Kitchen, Shirley M. (D) - District 3
Leach, Daylin (D) - District 17
Schwank, Judith L. (D) - District 11
Smucker, Lloyd K. (R) - District 13
Solobay, Timothy J. (D) - District 46
Stack, Michael J. (D) - District 5
Tartaglione, Christine M. (D) - District 2
Washington, LeAnna M. (D) - District 4
Williams, Anthony H. (D) - District 8
Wozniak, John N. (D) - District 35
Yaw, Gene (R) - District 23
Yudichak, John T. (D) - District 14

 

SENATE ACCOUNTABILITY EMAIL TEMPLATES

 

TO SENATORS WHO VOTED AGAINST HB 934:

 

Thank you for your recent vote against House Bill 934, the Voter Suppression Bill.  While a majority of senators voted in favor of an expensive solution to a problem that does not exist which will result in voter disenfranchisement, you defended the right of every Pennsylvania citizen to cast a vote without encountering unnecessary obstacles.

 

I want to thank you for your vote defending voting rights and the basic principles of our democracy.

 

Sincerely,

 
 

TO SENATORS WHO VOTED FOR HB 934:

 

I am deeply disappointed with your recent vote in favor of House Bill 934, which will cost taxpayers like me millions of dollars and will create unnecessary obstacles to voting. 

 

You voted for this despite the fact that the bill's supporters provided absolutely no evidence of voter impersonation fraud.  You voted for this over the objections of the County Commissioners, who indicated that they have seen virtually no examples of this kind of voter fraud.  You voted for this despite the opposition of nonprofit organizations representing senior citizens and persons with disabilities, whose constituencies are much more likely to not hold valid, state-issued, photo identification and who will be especially inconvenienced in their efforts to secure the ID required by the Voter Suppression Bill – assuming they even learn about the new requirements before they head to the polls.  And, in the midst of a debate over a budget which will include significant cuts in many areas, you voted to commit millions of taxpayer dollars to create new and unnecessary obstacles to voting.

 

Since I see no reasonable explanation for supporting the Voter Suppression Bill, I don't know what your motivation was in voting for it.  But I do know that you did not represent me and, in my opinion, you did not defend one of the most basic principles of our democracy.  I will not soon forget this vote, and I will most definitely inform my friends and neighbors about the vote you cast and the impact it will have.

 

Sincerely,

 


--
Jeff Garis
Field Director, Pennsylvania Voice
5540 Morris Street
Philadelphia, PA 19144
(o) 215-694-4783
(e) jgaris@infoservicesgroup.net

 

 
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. "
Franklin D. Roosevelt