In Texas, new voter identification laws are being proposed which opponents criticize as a poll tax. One proposal, HB 626, would require a certified copy of a birth certificate, a passport or a naturalization certificate to register to vote. The Houston Chronicle notes:
“Considering the cost of certified copies of documents, these bills are, in effect, proposing a new poll tax. A certified copy of a birth certificate costs $23; a passport is $85; a naturalization certificate is $200.” http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4739584.html
If it is a poll tax, such a law would be unconstitutional. The debate on electoral reform continues locked in the liberal-conservative split that makes rational discussion of these issues hard to generate. The Free and Fair Elections Amendment offers a different way.
