Supporters of the state voter bill that would require people to show photo identification before voting sound like they are living in the pre-Civil Rights Era ( "Activists protest against voter bill," Dec. 8 and TribLIVE.com).
There is no evidence that requiring a voter to show photo identification effectively prevents voter fraud. A federal court just finished reviewing the Georgia photo ID law and found that the only thing requiring photo ID accomplishes is disenfranchising thousands of poor, elderly and disabled voters.
In fact, the federal court found that photo identification does not address the fraud associated with absentee voting, the most problematic kind of fraud.
The Pennsylvania legislation would also take away the right to vote from people convicted of a felony who are out of prison but still on probation or parole.
These individuals live in our communities, go to work and are encouraged to participate in our society. Stripping thousands of people of their right to vote has nothing to do with fraud. Rather, it re-establishes the concept of taxation without representation.
Larry Frankel
Philadelphia
The writer is legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.
