There’s still some confusion about what’s going on with PA’s new photo ID law.  I want to clear up as much confusion as I can, because I’m worried about what I’m reading on the official Pennsylvania site.  “Voters will be asked, but not required, to show an acceptable photo ID on Election Day.”

Really? That’s all it says.  It does not say that voters will be told that they are being asked unnecessarily and will be informed that they can still vote a normal ballot without showing photo ID.

I just want to be clear, Pennsylvania.  You can still vote, whether or not you provide photo ID.  A pollworker can ask you for ID (for no reason), but they can’t stop you from voting because you don’t provide it.

In other words, Pennsylvania can’t force you to provide photo ID at the polls, but at least they can still be total dicks.

For more, I turn to Stephen Colbert:

Seems like just the other day I was scolding Maryland for updating its form less than 2 months before a huge election.  Well, now it’s West Virginia’s turn.  C'mon!  Guys.  Seriously, can it wait until AFTER a presidential election?  You’re only hurting voters here.

Well, no I feel kinda bad for being so hard on Virginia.  Because, compared to Maryland, VA looks like the patron saint of timely updates to its forms! 

WTH, MD?!  You have a year-specific absentee ballot application.  That means, every year, you *cough* *cough* totally unnecessarily *cough*…ahem, publish a new absentee ballot application. So don’t go changing that already yearly-changed form in the middle of an election!

We’ve had the 2012 general/primary election ballot application on our site ever since it was made available by Maryland.  But today I get an email from the secretary of state’s office telling us that we have an outdated version of the form and should replace it immediately, which I did.  Immediately.  (There is nothing worse than providing an outdated version of a form.)  But, lo, the new version was revised…when?  Oh right.  9/2012.  As in, this month.  What.

Considering there is no “no earlier than” warning on submitting an absentee application, it’s safe to assume that some on-top-of-it voters submitted their applications beforeSeptember of this year…soooo…you gonna process those forms, MD?  You betta!