Holy Moly: Georgia institutes a poll tax.

[elfs]

Georgia's New Poll Tax.

This can't be legal. You must have an ID card to vote, and you can't get an ID card unless you shell out $20. People who swear they're "indigent" can get the card without paying, but there's no defintion of "indigent" in the law.

Comments

[fallenpegasus]

Your title needs fixing. It's Georgia, not George.

And after the debacle that was the Washington State election, I am all for requiring ID to vote.

[omahas.livejournal.com]

Washington State already requires an ID...it's called the Washington State Voter ID card (at least, I've always had to show it when I came to a poll to vote). Requiring an ID that you have to pay for will not solve voter issues like Washington State had (where tremendous amounts of errors occured in tallying up who actually voted, not counting votes that had been cast, etc) and will prevent people who can't afford it from being able to vote.

And a poll tax is illegal. This could be construed as one, as it is required in order to vote.

[fallenpegasus]

They've never asked me for my card before.

I hope they start now.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_candide_/]

(where tremendous amounts of errors occured in tallying up who actually voted, not counting votes that had been cast, etc
Take a cue from science:

Measurement. Error.

After seeing what happened in your fair state, I'm now convinced that any election where no candidate can get more than 2-sigma over any other candidate should be thrown out as a "garbage-election" ... along with the candidates.

Measurement. Error.

In Physics, do you know what we call a system where the measurement to tell state-A from state-B falls is smaller than the measurement error? We call it a random number generator.

If votes(A) - votes(B) < VoteCountMeasurementError, you can do recounts 'til the crack-o-doom. You'll get a random result every recount.

So, do what the physicists do: declare the measurement useless, scrap the bad material (the candidates), and start over. Perhaps, with two better-quality candidates, the voters will make a clearer selection.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Fixed, got it.

I mostly object to the current implementation of the Georgia ID, which requires an additional for-fee voter registration card; in Washington, we get those with our taxes. The "equal before the law" applies to the polls as well, and as much as the court-appointed lawyer system sucks, it's at least an attempt to make things fair. Georgia is not even trying here. The "indigent" clause doesn't work without a proper definition, and the requirement that you present yourself to a limited number of registration sites disenfranchise those who cannot drive the miles needed to get to one.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

ID is required in Arkansas. A state issued picture ID (drivers license or other) and your voter registration card, which is free when you register.

[redhipple.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't know what identification Texas requires to vote as I've yet to vote. (Shameful, isn't it?) But I do know that Texas has for the last six years that I'm aware of charged fifteen dollars for a state ID and anywhere from twenty to thirty-five dollars for a lisence. So...the money doesn't surprise me, but surely some other form of identification should be acceptable, you would think.

GA no longer has a minimum wage either

[angelpdx.livejournal.com]

thanks to George, who handed Haliburton the right to pay slave wages in the three states hit hard by hurricane Katrina.