Is Pa. Ready for Voter ID?

A new study, released Tuesday by the The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center may have an effect on Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson’s ruling on the fate of Voter ID.

The Department found serious issues with the ease of obtaining proper voting identification from 44 driver license centers. Obstacles included long lines and uniformed PennDOT staffers.

According to the study, in almost 50% of cases, observers received inaccurate or incomplete information.

Court hearings for the law resumed today. Judge Simpson has 6 days, until October 2, to make a ruling.

No Change in Corbett Ratings

Governor Corbett has received dismal poll ratings all summer, continuing into fall. The latest Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll shows that has not changed. Voters gave Governor Corbett the exact same approval, 30 percent, and disapproval, 46 percent, ratings he received from their last poll in August.

The upside? His ratings have not decreased further. (Yet.)

The poll of 640 likely voters was conducted between Sept. 10 and 16.

Obama has strong lead in Pa. and Nj.

More good news for Team Obama. Although a recent poll by Susquehanna Polling & Research,
a Republican backed organization, alleges that Mitt Romney is only one point behind his opponent in Pennsylvania, almost every survey, including the two most recent by Monmouth University/Asbury Park and Mercyhurst University found the President with a significant lead.

Out the 522 likely Pa. voters that Mercyhurst surveyed, almost half (48 percent) said they would cast their ballots for Obama. 40 percent said Mr. Romney had their vote.

Additionally, The Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll found that the President holds a 15 percentage point lead over Mr. Romney in New Jersey.

The race also found that Senator Menendez was favored by 49 percent, with 34 percent for Senator Kyrillos.

Cell Phone Ban?

Rep. Joe Markosek, D-Alleghany County, is proposing enforced cell phone legislation for drivers; he hopes to ban drivers from using handheld devices while driving. Mr. Markosek has been working towards this goal since his time as the chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

While it is already illegal to text and drive in Pennsylvania, it is legal to use a handheld device for phone calls. This distinction blurs the line between illegal and legal cell phone use while driving.

Although almost 40 states have legislation banning texting while driving, only 10 ban drivers from using handheld cell phones while they’re behind the wheel.

Mr. Markosek also hopes to educate the public about the real danger of cell phone use while driving.

Pennsylvania Schools get a C

According to 600 voters statewide, Pennsylvania schools get a “C.”

The Inquirer Pennsylvania Poll, conducted by the bipartisan team of Global Strategy Group, a Democratic polling firm, and National Research, a Republican polling firm, found that respondents rate their local schools only slightly better.

“What this survey shows is the broad range of opinions that Pennsylvanians have when it comes to education, which is why Governor Corbett believes that parents should have the ability to choose the public or nonpublic schools their children attend," said Timothy Eller, spokesman for the state Department of Education to the Inquirer.

Obama Leads in New Jersey

The latest Quinnipiac University poll shows President Barack Obama is still in the lead over his challenger Mitt Romney in New Jersey. President Obama has 7 point lead overall; 52 percent of voters view him favorably, 43 for Mr. Romney.

Voters felt Obama is the better candidate on Medicare and health care, while Mr. Romney is the better candidate on the economy.

The telephone survey of 1,471 likely voters was conducted from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Pa. Introduces Online Sales Tax

While Gov. Tom Corbett‘s administration has been known for a lean budget with “no budget increases,” as of September 1, Pennsylvania will feature a new sales tax, online sales that is.

The tax applies only to transactions with online businesses that also feature a physical presence in the state, such as stores, delivery trucks, or even just advertising.

Most notably among the websites that will be affected is Amazon.com.

Voter ID Made Easy?

The Pennsylvania Department of State introduced the Voter ID card last week, supposedly making it possible for every citizen, no matter their age or income, to obtain proper voting identification. However, that may be easier said than done.

The card, only for voting purposes, is to be used as a last resort. It is to distributed only to those who have already exhausted all of other venues for obtaining an ID. In other words, those who have already made at least one trip to a Department of Transportation office.

In its first two days, 87 cards were distributed to Philadelphia, with another 57 in the rest of Pennsylvania.

Time will tell how much this new card will improve the chances of disenfranchised voters getting to the ballots.