Monday, November 03, 2008

Are Mortgage and Rent Payments the Florida Equivalent of Poll Taxes?

In a period of housing foreclosures, Florida's law barring people who lose their homes (and thus their verifying addresses) effectively turns voters' ability to pay into a litmus for eligibility. In Florida, voters have to have money to exercise their constitutional right.


UPDATE: Rachel Maddow suggests that the very act of standing in line constitutes a poll tax. However, that poll tax would at least apply to all people, even if unequally, since there are no VIP lines to vote. Since wealthy Floridians are generally in no danger of losing their addresses, the "No Match, no vote" law seems to be more discriminatory than long lines.

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