The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Your View

October 24, 2012

Your View: Voter ID law would be back-door poll tax

By Michael Burger, Mankato

— How can the state guarantee that the voter ID law will stop voter fraud? The Department of Motor Vehicles stated that there are 24,000 invalid licenses in their system of which they have found 12,000 of them.

This does not take into account those IDs purchased on the black market. Even if the state issues a true voter ID card, those cards could be reproduced in the black market. The only way to truly eliminate any voter fraud is to use hand scanners.

Requiring a person to pay for a voter ID card is called a poll tax, which is not legal. So, under this amendment, the state would pay for your voter ID card. And where does the state get the money to pay for these cards? Yes, your tax money -- which makes this a back-door poll tax.

This constitutional amendment, if passed, will be taken to court as a poll tax and will cost us, the taxpayer, hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend. Vote no on this amendment as it will not work.

If you're concerned that there is fraud in voting, then ask your state representatives to provide hand scanners and do this right the first time, without all the wasted costs that will be incurred in this constitutional amendment.

How many presidents took their oaths of office with a hand on the Constitution and not on a Bible? Why was this done? To show the separation between church and state.



 

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