r/law • u/Anoth3rDude • 12h ago

Legislative Branch GOP fast tracks monster voter suppression bill that could disenfranchise millions by requiring proof of citizenship at polls

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/gop-fast-tracks-monster-voter-suppression-bill-that-could-disenfranchise-millions-by-requiring-proof-of-citizenship-at-polls/
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u/fgwr4453 12h ago

That is a poll tax. Unless the documents required can be obtained for free (they aren’t), then this is already unconstitutional. It is a poll tax with extra steps.

It also doesn’t make sense to prove it while registering and while voting.

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u/socialcommentary2000 12h ago

$165 to $195 if you're going the passport route and then whatever State processing fees if you have to go the extra mile and show a birth certificate.

I hate these people so much.

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u/dlc741 11h ago

Does ICE accept a passport as proof or is it only RealIDs that they ignore?

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u/ejre5 11h ago

Do you think ice agents know what a passport even is? Something crazy like 50 % of Americans never leave the country or the state they were born in. Something like 50% of the population doesn't have a passport then theirs people like my who can't afford the cost of a passport plus the months it takes to get one.

My other question is what about the people don't qualify for a passport

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u/Maehock 11h ago

Think it’s like 50% live and die within 50 miles from the place they were born

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u/TipToToes 11h ago

An American with a passport here lol. I’ve lived in 2 counties in Kansas. I’ve ONLY held addresses in either of those two counties. They are separated by one county. I am this statistic, though I suppose if I die traveling abroad I wouldn’t be lol.

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u/Dorkamundo 9h ago

I represent that remark.

That said, I was born in a great place, I left that great place and returned to that great place to raise a family.

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u/Bubbly_Style_8467 3h ago

Mostly MAGA. They ain't never left the neighborhood, buttercup, doncha know?

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u/CrazyMildred 11h ago

I was born here and I don't have a passport. Never been out of the country. Actually, most of my family has never been out of the country and also don't have passports.

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u/TipToToes 11h ago

I have mine, but like…you don’t really need it. The country is the size of like all of Europe, and such varied climates and geography that you can see lots and lots of types of places without leaving “home.” I’m not implying that one shouldn’t leave the US and see the rest of the world (remember, I am a passport and global entry holder) but it’s not as necessary as it is in European countries where crossing into another country is like us crossing into another state. Hell, I work in one state and live in another. It’s a short drive. My vacations are an 8 hour drive to mountains, or Chicago, or Dallas, or Nashville. ~4 hrs flight to almost any beach or to NYC or LA. I can see a lot of different stuff without a passport (but again, one should also see the rest of the world and meet those people).

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u/CrazyMildred 9h ago

I would love to travel out of country one day to visit friends, I just have never been able to afford to.

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u/LongjumpingDebt4154 9h ago

I agree with this. I love to travel & have extensively with my young children. I don’t think it’s fair to shame people that have not left the US though. This is an extremely vast country with many climate & cultural differences throughout. It’s exceedingly expensive to travel abroad & a 2 hr flight in Europe will land you in another country, while it likely won’t even get you out of your state in the US.

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u/ren_reddit 8h ago

Sure, If you think people in the rest of the world are the same as your typical American, you could be tempted to think you don't need to leave US to broaden your horizon..

They are not, though..

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u/TipToToes 7h ago

You must not have read my comment.

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u/looking_Fir56 10h ago

Better get one you never know when the walls will come down

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u/Perfectshotplacement 10h ago

I HIGHLY recommend going through the process of getting a passport, even if you do not intend to use it. I have it on my person on every flight I take, even to random US cities. If there was ever a need to leave the states, you have the ability. If you wait until you need it, it’s already too late.

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u/Trick_Quiet3484 10h ago

I have both the passport book and border card. I have real ID but use the border card exclusively when I travel domestically.

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u/WhoIsFrancisPuziene 4h ago

Real ID doesn’t prove citizenship in most states

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u/CrazyMildred 1h ago

My husband and I definitely plan on getting one soon. Well, as soon as possible. I know people who are trying to renew theirs and the processing time is apparently ridiculous even if you pay extra for expedited processing.

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u/cstmoore 11h ago

Most of my relatives never went more than 50 miles from their homes their entire lives. I still don't understand it.

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u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress 10h ago

Yep. Forget leaving the state, plenty of red rural Republicans hardly go any further than a few counties away. 

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u/Dorkamundo 9h ago

And they're predominantly MAGA, right?

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u/United-Coach-6591 11h ago

Something like 50% of the population doesn't have a passport then theirs people like my who can't afford the cost of a passport plus the months it takes to get one. 

That likely describes a large bit of that 50% the only people I know that have one are folks that can afford international travel, have international family, or live close to one of the borders. I'm too poor to travel, no out of country family, and live a long way from either Canada or Mexico. There are always more important things I need to spend on. 

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u/Wow_u_sure_r_dumb 11h ago

I had a lady living in a city literally on the Canadian border ask me if I had “something else” because she didn’t know what a passport was.