A proposed voting law in Georgia is compared to the past poll tax.
Wired PR News – A proposed Georgia voting law has garnered criticism from many who view it as a modern day poll tax. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the proposed measure would require voters to provide proof of citizenship, which some believe would limit the number of minority, poor, and elderly voters who show up at the polls in the same manner that poll taxes and other measures that were in place before the enactment of the Voting Rights Act once did.
Many who criticize the new bill cite it as being a potential disenfranchisement for individuals unable to pay for copies of their birth certificates or other documents they may not readily have available to use for providing proof of their citizenship. Emory University law professor Michael Kang is quoted as stating of the issue, “The question here is whether the procedural requirement kind of goes beyond a tailored approach and ends up disenfranchising or discouraging participation by actual citizens who just simply can’t comply with the procedural burden.”
If approved, the law would go into effect in 2010.
