LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Passport voting requirement amounts to poll tax
Requiring a $160 fee in order to be able to vote is a poll tax, which is not lawful anymore.
To The Editor
If the Republican party insists that persons who vote have either a birth certificate or a passport to present when voting, it seems fair to me that there should be no application fee when applying for a passport.
Requiring a $160 fee in order to be able to vote is a poll tax, which is not lawful anymore.
The population of the United States is mobile. Many Americans start moving, or being moved by their parents, at an early age. I was born in a state where, because of privacy concerns, getting a certified, unredacted copy of a birth certificate is not easy. Making it easy makes it easy for criminals to steal identities.
Passport fees are not a major source of federal government revenue. Giving up those fees would allow persons to vote who might never have $160 for discretionary spending. This country should never put a price on being able to vote.
Sincerely
Michael C. Hall
Albany
Michael Hall is a partner in the Albany Hall & Williamson PC law firm.
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