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Directions: Today we will listen to portions of the August 15, 2012 interview of Pennsylvania State Representative
Daryl Metcalfe. The interviewer, Dave Davies, walks us through the interview of Rep. Metcalfe and his quest to
strengthen Pennsylvania State Election Laws This conversation looks at the tension between ballot access and
ballot security. (Only listen to the first 24 minutes)

Virginia recently changed their Voter ID laws. Now, photo ID laws are required. What
happens to people who fail to meet arrive with identification? Does their vote count?

1. What do you believe is more important to safe guarding the validity of our elections: the
access to the ballot or the security of the ballot? Why?

2. NPR has since corrected this broadcast to reveal that State Rep. Bernie ONeill has never
had his identity assumed during voting. How do you think that this changes Metcalfes
argument, if at all?

3. Do you think the comment made by Mike Turzai changes the tenor of this discussion?
Why?

4. The group ACORN was associated with President Obamas campaign in 2008. How
would you suggest trying to keep non-profits with political motives from ruining the
security of the ballot?

5. In 2013, the Supreme Court decided the case Shelby v Holder, in which the
requirement of redistricting for states that disenfranchised portions of their population
was nixed. Chief Justice John Roberts states that,
In assessing the current need for a preclearance system treating States differently from one another
today, history since 1965 cannot be ignored. The Fifteenth Amendment is not designed to punish for
the past; its purpose is to ensure a better future. To serve that purpose, Congressif it is to divide the
Statesmust identify those jurisdictions to be singled out on a basis that makes sense in light of current
conditions. Congress did not use that record to fashion a coverage formula grounded in current
conditions. It instead re-enacted a formula based on 40-year-old facts having no logical relation to
the present day.

Yet, states are already moving to enact stricter voter ID Laws, as evidenced by the
article referenced in the QR code to the left. Many Americans support this sentiment,
which is reflected in the second and third QR codes linking you to a 2012 WaPo poll on
Voter IDs. Considering what you know about the role of parties in elections, answer the
following question.
What is better for democracy: preserving the security of the ballot (which is good for the
majority) or providing ballot access (which is allowing the minority to participate in
elections?)
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