FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11 April 2013
For More Information: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, President, 919-394-8137
Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700
Atty. Jamie Phillips, Public Policy Coordinator, 919-682-4700
A new tax is headed to North Carolina if House Bill 589 is passed next week. Under the bill, voters will be required to pay for a photo ID before voting. The bill claims to provide free photo IDs and birth certificates to those who sign a statement swearing - under penalty of perjury - that paying a fee would present a financial hardship. Nowhere in the bill is "financial hardship" defined, leaving it up to an arbitrary determination by those distributing the IDs. A penalty of perjury for not actually being "poor" is a slippery slope. Ultimately, no voter should pay a poll tax or have to pay anything to exercise their right to vote - rich or poor! A poll tax is a poll tax even if you can afford it. Poll taxes are a violation of the 14th, 15th, and 24th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and Article I, Section 10 of the NC Constitution which says "All elections shall be free."
House Bill 589 will also disadvantage many students, treating students attending public universities different than students attending private universities, i.e. Shaw University and Wake Forest University. This is because only state issued IDs are acceptable forms of voter ID, therefore private school IDs are not acceptable and those students will have to purchase an ID. Furthermore, they could not provide universally free photo IDs even if they so desired. The provision to provide free birth certificates and marriage licenses would not cover people who were born or married outside the state. For example, someone without a birth certificate from New York state would have to pay $45 to get one, which would be necessary for some people to get an acceptable photo ID. The law still cannot address the long waits, travel time and hassle that will deter others from getting this ID and voting. The ill-conceived bill will cost the state money that should have been used to expand Medicaid, fund public schools or help maintain unemployment insurance for the 170,000 laid off workers in our state.
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