Voter ID Law A 'Solution In Search Of A Problem'? Watchdogs Find Little Evidence Of Fraud
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Pennsylvania's voter ID law has been at the center of controversy in past weeks, since many opponents say the law is a solution in search of a problem. So, is there voter fraud in the Commonwealth?
"There are no documented cases of voter fraud."
Pennsylvania Department of State spokesperson Matthew Keeler says the state had no way of tracking voter fraud, so there's no proof that it ever happened.
"That doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. It may exist on a level."
Committee of Seventy President Zack Stalberg has been monitoring the polls for years. He says there are reports of over-voting in some districts in Philadelphia.
"The city hasn't gotten a handle on how significant a problem that is yet. My guess is it's going to turn out to be more accidental than cases of fraud."
But Stalberg says his problem isn't with the law itself.
"The larger problem is that this law is being implemented too quickly."
He says the state should give voters one to two years to comply.
"When people have been accustomed to voting for, in some cases, decades without having to show an ID, you have to be very deliberate about how you change the rules and give them enough time to comply."
Stalberg says, seven months is just not enough time to get the word out to voters.
