Hundreds pack rally to protest Pa. voter ID law

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Hundreds of people joined in a noisy rally at Pennsylvania’s state Capitol to protest the state’s new mandatory photo ID law for voting.

The protesters — union members, religious leaders and others — gathered around a 25-foot inflatable replica of the Liberty Bell at the top of the statehouse steps this afternoon. They waved signs and chanted slogans such as “Voter ID, Not for Me!”

More than two dozen people were slated to speak during the two-hour rally.

The protest comes one day before the state Commonwealth Court plans to open a hearing on a lawsuit seeking to block the law from taking effect Nov. 6, Election Day.

Similar protests are scheduled on Wednesday in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown.