This information comes courtesy of Centre County’s Office of Elections and Voter Registration. The Director, Joyce McKinley, provided this information to me in an email on October 20th, after I inquired into how Centre County would be implementing Judge Simpson’s ruling in October suspending key aspects of the “Papers, Please” voter suppression law.
This is what you should expect at your polls today. If your experience is contrary to these guidelines, speak up. Ask to see a supervisor. If they can’t help you or won’t let you vote, go higher. If you don’t know how, call someone who does (like me; I’m available via telephone, text, email, or facebook and will have my phone on me all day). Most importantly, don’t leave without casting your vote. These new laws were designed to keep people from voting. Don’t become a statistic.
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Centre County will be complying with the order regarding the ID: The poll workers were correct in the primary election to ask for ID etc. and that is the order that was issued on October 2, 2012. All boards will be instructed on what is required at the training sessions being held the week of Oct. 29, 2012.
Their instructions will be and this has been sent to each county by the Department of State clarifying the effect of the Commonwealth Court’s ruling.
SOFT ROLLOUT – On Election Day, all voters who come into the polling place must be asked but will not be required to show an acceptable form of phto ID. If a voter does not present an acceptable form of photo ID the poll worker must give the voter a copy of the handout (each polling places will have this handout). In orther words the process will work just as it did in the Primary.
IDENTIFICATION FOR “FIRST TIME VOTER” “First time voter” requirements that were in place prior to Sept. 17, 2012 will apply in the Nov. 6, 2012 General Election. Required under the Help America Vote Act and/or the Pennsylvania Election Code will still be required to provide identification and the acceptable forms of ID for first time voters will be posted in each polling location.
You can obtain additional information on the process at www.votespa.com
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