Bret Binder Applauds Commonwealth Court Ruling

October 2, 2012

Bret Binder (D) Applauds Commonwealth Court Ruling, Expresses Caution About Law’s Implementation Going Forward

EAST BRADFORD TOWNSHIP, PA –

Bret Binder reacted on Tuesday to the Commonwealth Court’s decision to prevent Pennsylvania’s controversial voter ID law from taking full effect.

“While I agree with Judge Simpson’s decision and it is indeed a victory for Pennsylvania voters, it does not change the fact that this law is a poorly designed attempt to disenfranchise a large portion of the electorate. Dan Truitt’s Republican friends in Harrisburg have made that very clear.”

In his opinion, Judge Robert Simpson entered a preliminary injunction enjoining the enforcement of those parts of the law which require voters to cast a provisional ballot if they do not present an acceptable form of identification.

Binder’s Republican opponent, Dan Truitt, has expressed support for the law. In June, Mike Turzai, a representative from Allegheny County, made national headlines when he said that the law “would allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania.”

“The bottom line is that there is simply not enough evidence of voter fraud to show that this type of legislation is necessary,” said Binder.  “In fact, the Commonwealth stipulated to the fact that there was no evidence of voter fraud in Pennsylvania,” he continued.

“If I am elected, I will ensure that Pennsylvanians’ voting rights are protected and will not waste the taxpayer’s time and money on poorly drafted, partisan legislation.”

Judge Simpson expressed skepticism that sufficient time was available to meet the state’s goals regarding access to ID cards and said he expected more ID’s to be issued by the time of his decision.  “I am still not 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 purposes of the upcoming election,” Judge Simpson said in his opinion.  

Bret Binder is a candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 156th District, which includes West Chester Borough, West Goshen Township, East Goshen Township, and portions of East Bradford Township. Bret is the founder and managing partner of Binder & Canno, LLC. His practice focuses on small business, real estate, and commercial litigation. Bret earned his law degree at Villanova University School of Law. He has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania where he also minored in mathematics and engineering. Bret was a star athlete in high school and college and continues to play semi-pro baseball and bowl with his family in a local league.

The 156th District includes West Chester Borough, East Goshen Township, West Goshen Township, and portions of East Bradford Township in central Chester County.

For Additional information Please Contact:
Mike Leibowitz, Campaign Press Assistant
803 West Market Street
West Chester, PA 19382
610-696-5904
mleibowitz@bretbinderforpa.com
www.bretbinderforpa.com