Woah, I had no idea states are allowed to charge for voter IDs. How is that not the same thing as a poll tax?! My disgust for these laws just intensified.
Most if not all states have free voter IDs, but many of them don't advertise it, so if you don't know where to look you'll never find it. They can also require supporting documentation that can be costly, inconvenient, or impossible to obtain.
Not only is it unfair to poor people, but impoverished Americans, statistically, are more likely to be African American. While we have made great strides against prejudice in our society, it is unfair and untrue to say it doesn't still exist.
Or the classic sure you can technically get voter ID. All you have to do is go in state capital, visit this obscure single office, that is only open in office hours. You need to will this exhaustive application in triplicate and leave all relevant attachments. If even single attachment is missing refile completely. Oh and yeah some of those identity proof documents cost money. If there is enough malicious will, there is a way.
However there is some non malicious basic systemic probblems. Frankly the solution to this is comprehensive real time population registry eliminating need to separately track voters combined with universally issued resident ID cards. Person has their ID and then they just keep their residency information up to date with the registry.
Since there is the real issue of determining voter eligibility and preventing voter impersonation. However pretty sure by the word comprehensive registry large portion of USA population started warding against ultimate evil rituals.
The base issue is USA has trouble identifying and maintaining the residency information of people in general. Which isn't problem in case of picket fence family having car and not moving a lot, but in case of people living more nomadic life with less resources this is a real problem. It isn't only about who the person is but for example their home address/town effects ones voting district etc.
Some states now have voter IDs, but states that still have state IDs its around $10 or so. The documents needed to get a voter ID can cost a person, and require a decent amount of time.
Generally, when challenged in court states have had to remove a fee for a state ID that is not also a drivers license. So, most (non-DL) IDs are free. What Alabama did was to close many DMV offices in rural and black parts of the state making it harder for certain groups to physically get to the office to obtain an ID. How do you get to a DMV 20 miles away to get your ID when you don't have a drivers license to begin with?
Even if they're free, sometimes the documents to get the free ID aren't free. You have to pay to get a copy of your birth certificate. If you don't have your original social security card, you gotta pay to get that too.
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u/CynicsaurusRex Dec 13 '17
Woah, I had no idea states are allowed to charge for voter IDs. How is that not the same thing as a poll tax?! My disgust for these laws just intensified.