Pennsylvania state Rep. Babette Josephs (D) said this week that a 30-second ad meant to educate the public about the state’s new voter ID law is offensive because it calls people’s patriotism into question.
“If you care about this country, it’s time to show it,” a woman says at the end of the ad, which was created for the Pennsylvania State Department by Red House Communications. A spokesman for the State Department was surprised by the criticism.
“We thought the ad was great. … I’m stunned,” Ron Ruman told the Associated Press.
The ad, which is part of a $1.3 million media buy, has been running in all the state’s media markets since Aug. 27, according to the AP. Earlier this year, it turned out another firm that received a government contract to educate voters about the law is filled with former Republican staffers.
More than 1.6 million Pennsylvania voters lack a valid state-issued form of photo identification, including more than 1,000 voters who are in the state’s “Voter Hall of Fame” because they voted in 50 consecutive elections.
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court will take up the law on Sept. 13. A lower court refused to block the law while the federal Justice Department has launched its own investigation.
