A Pennsylvania judge Tuesday blocked the state from enforcing its strict voter ID law before the presidential electing, citing “disenfranchisement” concerns, according to an article from Fox News. The ruling in a vital battleground state comes five weeks before the election.
The ruling could still be appealed, but it followed two days of testimony about the state’s efforts to make it easier to get a valid photo ID, as well as possible hurdles for people seeking proper identification, the article says.
The challenge to the six-month-old law is one of several across the country – largely backed by Republican legislators – requiring voters to show photo identification, Fox News reports.
Judge Robert Simpson said in his opinion Tuesday that he anticipates that by Election Day, “the gap between the photo IDs issued and the estimated need will not be closed.”
He added: “Consequently, I am not still convinced in my predictive judgment that there will be no voter disenfranchisement arising out of the Commonwealth’s implementation of a voter identification requirement for the purposes of the upcoming election.”
An appeal to the state Supreme Court is possible, but Judge Simpson’s decision, Fox News reports, could easily be the final word on the law before the November 6 election.