Daryl Metcalfe, a Pennsylvania state House member who originally sponsored the state's voter ID law that is currently in legal limbo, said on a local radio station Wednesday morning that the state shouldn't be responsible for people who are too "lazy" to obtain the needed ID.
"Ultimately, the burden isn't on the state to make sure every individual does what they need to get their ID card. I mean, individuals have certain responsibilities in securing their ID," the Republican lawmaker told Pittsburgh radio station KDKA, in a clip circulated by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. "They have to present the documents needed. The state doesn't have that burden. I think the individual does, and ultimately it's a great travesty of justice to violate the rights of millions to have their legally cast vote protected for the special interests of a few individuals that are too lazy to get out there and get done what they have to to get their ID card."
The host asked whether Metcalfe was convinced that no legitimate voter would be disenfranchised. Metcalfe said he was. "As Mitt Romney said, 47 percent of the people ... are living off the public dole, living off their neighbors' hard work, and we have a lot of people out there that are too lazy to get up and get out there and get the ID they need. If individuals are too lazy, the state can't fix that. But the process is put in place to get an ID card. There's a free ID available if someone needs one."
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a lower court's decision to uphold the law and sent it back for reconsideration. "We are not satisfied with a mere predictive judgment based primarily on the assurances of government officials," the high court's majority wrote of arguments that no voters would be disenfranchised. The majority was not convinced "that there will be no voter disenfranchisement arising out of the Commonwealth's implementation of a voter identification requirement for purposes of the upcoming election."
The Huffington Post and other news outlets have spoken with Pennsylvania voters who have faced significant hurdles in obtaining the ID to vote. Some lack the needed underlying documents or must find time to stand in long lines or get to PennDOT centers with limited hours. HuffPost spoke to one regular voter who paid around $75 for the documents she needed to obtain one of those free photo IDs.
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