Keystone Today

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., (D-Pennsylvania) recently criticized Republican-sponsored election integrity bills across the U.S., despite his own state implementing similar, if not more stringent, measures.

The senator made his comments following a U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold two voting laws in Arizona that allow for provisional ballots filed at the wrong voting precinct to be discounted and prohibits third-party groups from collecting and returning mail-in ballots, according to Business Insider.

"We're either going to preserve our democracy, and thereby protect voter rights to preserve the democracy, or we're not. Democrats have to stand up and get something done. I think we can do that, because it's apparent to me that Republicans are just going to endorse these voter suppression bills," Casey stated, according to Business Insider. "At its core, we should just be blunt about this: These voter suppression bills are about white supremacy."

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey | Courtesy of the U.S. Senate

The senator's allegations of voter suppression are questionable in light of Pennsylvania's own voting policies, which in many ways are similar to Arizona's.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Pennsylvania begins in-person absentee early voting 50 days before election day. This is considered to be an unusually long time period for early voting.

Votes PA reports that Pennsylvania allows for no-excuse absentee voting, meaning that citizens can vote absentee without having to provide a reason for why they aren’t voting in person.

Pennsylvania does not allow automatic voter registration nor same-day voter registration, and voters must reside in their registered districts for at least 30 days before any upcoming election, according to Ballotpedia. People voting at a particular polling place for the first time must provide voter ID, but anyone who has previously voted in the same location would not be required to show ID.

By contrast, Arizona begins in-person early voting 27 days before election day, according to the Citizens Clean Elections Commission. Though not as long as Pennsylvania's 50-day period, this is still considered to be a lengthy early voting period.

Like Pennsylvania, Arizona allows for no-excuse absentee voting, according to Vote 411.

First State Times reports that Arizona does not allow automatic voter registration nor same-day voter registration, measures that are similar to those in place in Pennsylvania. 

Arizona mandates that voters must show photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID to cast a ballot, but according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll of 1,115 adults across the nation, 79% of respondents believe voters should be required to show government-issued photo identification whenever they vote.