In the past, poll taxes and literary tests were the main tools used to disenfranchise minority and poor voters.
However, current voter ID laws may just be a modern day poll tax.
Several states, such as South Carolina, have recently passed voter ID laws making it more difficult for residents to vote.
In 2008, the Supreme Court upheld a voter ID law in Indiana in the case of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, where the state required residents to produce a photo ID issued by the United States Government or the state of Indiana in order to vote. Elderly Indiana residents believed those voter ID requirements created an "undue burden" preventing them from voting. Nonetheless, the high Court disagreed.
But - there are cities in Wisconsin where the DMV is only open 1 day a month to issue IDs.
And don't forget that as many as 11% of eligible voters do not have government issued photo IDs. Seniors, college students, minorities, people with disabilities, and low income citizens are even more likely not to have government issued photo IDs due to the cost. Birth certificates, which are the documents needed to get IDs, are often difficult to acquire as well.
If the goal is to have equal access to the polls, then perhaps charging any fee for a document needed to vote is arguably a poll tax. Until this point, we thought poll taxes were a thing of the past. Hopefully, these voter ID laws will soon be a thing of the past too.
