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PENNSYLVANIA COMMONWEALTH COURT DECISION IS A VICTORY FOR VOTING RIGHTS AND EQUALITY

  • January 17, 2014

Philadelphia, PA, January 17, 2014…The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court’s ruling striking down Pennsylvania’s restrictive Voter ID requirements in the case of Applewhite v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

“The Pennsylvania Voter ID Law was ill-conceived and misguided. Rather than protecting the right to vote, the Voter ID Law would have restricted citizens’ abilities to participate fully in our democracy by disenfranchising eligible voters who did not have, and could not obtain, the documentation required by the State,” said Nancy Baron-Baer, Interim Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League. “The Commonwealth Court ruling is a victory for voting rights and equality.”

ADL has long been an advocate of voters’ rights. Through its support of the Voter Rights Act of 1965, ADL helped to eliminate discriminatory barriers to full civic participation of Americans, and has continually opposed efforts to impose ballot access requirements, absent substantiated, compelling evidence of voter fraud.

ADL filed an amicus “friend of the court” brief in Applewhite which was prepared by pro bono counsel, Dechert LLP, and ADL. Joining ADL on the brief were Nueva Esperanza, Inc. and Latino Justice PRLDEF.

The Anti-Defamation League is one of the nation’s premier civil rights/human relations agencies fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defending democratic ideals and protecting civil rights for all. Click to learn more about our work in Protecting Voting Rights.