Argued over for the past year and a half, most especially around November's elections, the commonwealth's stringent and widely contested voter ID law was ruled unconstitutional Jan. 17.

The law required each citizen display a recognized official photo ID card at their voter location. The law was declared by many a blatant partisan measure to keep low-income, elderly and disabled residents, who might have difficulty attaining such ID, from casting their votes – presumably for Democrats.

Pa. Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard L. McGinley ordered the law permanently blocked, saying a prerequisite for constitutionality for citizens to participate would be convenient access to valid IDs. No provisions were made to ensure ease of access, thus possibly complicating or denying the voting process for thousands of citizens.

Local NAACP President Esther Lee said via phone she feels the idea behind the law was foolish to begin with because it clouded the Constitutional mandate of a citizen vote. She said the entire affair should be wrapped up so that government can get on to other issues.

"Why would you want to deter people voting?" Lee asked. "Why are people dickering unless there's an amendment to the Constitution?

"We have the right to vote," she declared, implying there's no basis for a state appeal. "We don't need to pursue the ID issue – give that one up."

Democrat U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr. said in an email statement, "This ruling is a victory for the fundamental voting right of every Pennsylvanian. Implementing Voter ID would prevent tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians from exercising their right to vote, including elderly Pennsylvanians who've fought in our wars and worked to make our country safe. Voter ID is crumbling under the weight of its own faulty premises and misguided reasoning."