HARRISBURG – Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) issued the following statement in reaction to Governor Wolf’s veto of the Voter Rights Protection Act:
“The people of our Commonwealth have made it clear that they want an election system they can believe in. In fact, election reform ranks among the most serious concerns of Pennsylvanians in statewide polling, including the 74 percent of citizens who recently voiced their support for voter ID, which is why the General Assembly addressed this important matter before the end of June.
“The Voter Right Protection Act that passed both chambers of the General Assembly reflects the legislative branch’s work to identify and fix flaws in our election system, and ensures no voter would be disenfranchised by ensuring every single legal voter in the state would receive a qualifying voter ID under the bill – free of charge. The process included review of best practices in multiple states including red, blue, and purple states, as well as many bipartisan hearings that were held over several months. The recommendations and changes identified in these hearings are all reflected in this important piece of legislation.
“Governor Wolf was asked on several occasions to participate and provide input in the process, but he instead opted to defend the national democrats party line and kowtow to special interests by crying foul to voter suppression in the media rather than rolling up his shirt sleeves and coming to the table for the people of Pennsylvania. Today’s veto by Governor Wolf of the Voter Rights Protection Act is an out-of-touch move that goes against the majority of Pennsylvanians, including members of his own party.
“In spite of this setback, Senate Republicans will continue our efforts to strengthen our election system, improve voter participation and access, and support our counties in managing our elections. Our Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform identified a more limited set of recommendations that were approved with bipartisan support. Those recommendations will form the basis of our election reform efforts in the fall.”
Original source can be found here.
