Voter+I.D.+Petition+Press+Conference+and+Delivery

= Petition Delivery on Sept. 13, 2012 = = = media type="youtube" key="UMIG3R5E8UE" height="480" width="853"

=This is what Democracy looks like!= = =

=Today more than 30 Pittsburgh area residents took to the streets to deliver a petition with more than 17,000 signatures against Pennsylvania’s new voter I.D. law.= = =

=On Thursday, Sept. 13, as the state Supreme Court began hearing the case against the law, we took our case directly to the Allegheny County Election Bureau in downtown Pittsburgh. Our plan: to ask our local election officials not to enforce this law regardless of the court’s decision.=



=We met in front of the Allegheny County Court House and were immediately surrounded by a sea of reporters from WTAE-TV (ABC), WPXI-TV (NBC), KDKA-TV (CBS), the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and others. After a round of interviews, I presented a milk crate stuffed to overflowing with both the statewide petition of more than 17,300 signatures and the Allegheny County petition of more than 4,400 signatures. Let me tell you, Democracy is heavy!= =

= =I passed out homemade signs with slogans such as “Just Say No!”, “Count Every Vote!”, “Civil Rights First!”, “No Fraud Equals No Need for Voter I.D.”, “Poll Tax, Literacy Test, Voter I.D.?” and “Voting is a Right Not a Privilege!”= = =

=We practiced a few chants and then promptly at 4 p.m we started to march a block over to the County Office Building - home of the election bureau. With cameras in tow, we started chanting a call-and-response of “Just Say - NO!”, “Count Every - VOTE!” and “Civil Rights - FIRST!”= = =

=We immediately entered the building and filled three elevators up to the sixth floor. Once we all reassembled, we quietly and politely entered the offices of Mark Wolosik, Division Head of the County Elections Department - and the target of our petitions.= =

= =We had been here before. In August we delivered more than 2,200 signatures to this same office, but Mr. Wolosik was not in. On this day he was there waiting for us.= = =

=I heaved the milk crate onto the counter and explained to him about the petitions - all in the glare of the media’s cameras. At first, Mr. Wolosik said he would only accept the petition with signatures from Allegheny County. However, when I explained that the statewide petition also included signatures from Allegheny County residents, he relented.= = =

=He told us that he would have to follow the law if it was not struck down by the courts. I told him we understood his position, did not blame him for this law and thought he was as much a victim of it as the electorate. However, I explained that we thought he could disregard this law in favor of a higher authority - the Constitution. He did not agree, but he heard us out.=



=We then had a discussion of how stringently the law had to be observed. The legislation is vague about how much the name on a person’s photo I.D. has to conform to that on the voter rolls. He explained where there was some leniency and where there was not. For example, a person who has his full first, middle and last name on the voter rolls but only his first and last name and middle initial on his I.D. would NOT have to resort to a provisional ballet. However, a recently married woman whose last name is different on the voting rolls and her I.D. WOULD have to cast a provisional ballet.= = =

=When all was done, we thanked him for his time and returned to street level.= = =

=There we held a press conference with the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network, People for the American Way, Black Political Empowerment Project, Voter ID Coalition, One Pittsburgh and other partners. The half hour meeting consisted of the following speakers:=



=1) Jonathan Mayo, PIIN Vice President - Why we’re here= = =

=2) Rev. Dave McFarland: Opening Prayer= = =

=3) Rabbi Ron Symons and Rev. Richard Freeman: the faith perspective on voting rights= = =

=4) State Rep. Bill Kortz (D-Dravosburg) : How this law was passed in the first place= = =

=5) Steven Singer: Why petition for Civil Disobedience= = =

=6) Father Rodge Wood, former rector of Christ Episcopal: how partisan poll workers have bragged to him about the racist intent behind the law= = =

=7) Celeste Taylor, Black Political Empowerment Project, Voter ID Coalition and lifetime ACLU member: history of voter suppression and 1-866-OUR-VOTE= = =

=8) Jonathan Mayo: What are we doing from here - efforts by PIIN, partners and the community to make sure everyone has the right to vote=

=9) Imam Atef of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh: Closing prayer= = =

=10) Rev. Dave McFarland: Song “This Little VOTE of Mine.”= = =

=It was a moving experience to see people of all walks of life - Christians, Jews, Muslims, Quakers, atheists, etc. - come together in opposition to voter suppression. After many thanks all around, tearful hand clasps and hugs, we went our separate ways secure in the knowledge that whatever happens from here we know what Democracy looks like.= = =

= Media for the event: =

=KDKA-AM (CBS RADIO): ROBERT MAGINO SHOW (PART 1)= = = =KDKA-AM (CBS RADIO): ROBERT MAGINO SHOW (PART 2)=

=WTAE-TV (ABC)=

=WTAE-TV (ABC)=

=FOX 53 (FOX)=

=KDKA-TV (CBS)=



= Steve's Remarks During the Press Conference: = = = =We all say we believe in Democracy. We all say we believe in equal rights, freedom and justice for all. But when that ideal comes under attack... who among us will do more than just talk?= = =

=Today as the highest court in Pennsylvania considers halting our new voter ID law, we here in Pittsburgh took a stand. We delivered a petition to Allegheny County election officials asking them that even if the Supreme Court upholds the voter ID law, they should to the full extent of their legal authority not enforce it.= = =

=We’ve done this before. In August we delivered the petition I made on signon.org with more than 2,000 signatures. Today we have more than 17,000 statewide - more than 4,000 of which are from Allegheny County residents alone.=

=We understand that our local election officials are not to blame for this law. We understand that if our courts don’t strike it down, our local officials will be in a bind. If they enforce the law, they may inadvertently suppress the voices of as many as 758,000 people - that’s 25% of African Americans, 16% of Latinos and 18% of senior citizens. However, if they don’t enforce this law, they will be open to charges of illegality. I think they can appeal to a higher authority - the Constitution.= = =

=Our country is founded on the belief that governmental authority derives - and can only derive - from the consent of the governed. As such the right to vote is a sacred trust. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it clear that voter suppression efforts such as poll taxes and literacy tests violate the Constitution. So if push comes to shove, I believe our local officials could act with impunity.= = =

=In the meantime, we won’t pin all our hopes on anyone other than ourselves. We will continue to do the hard work - registering people to vote, helping the disenfranchised get the documents our legislators insist they need to exercise their legal rights. No matter what, we will ensure that every citizen - regardless of color or creed, regardless of age or gender, regardless of political affiliation - shall be able to cast a vote this November. Then truly we will be one nation under God.= = =

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