Rep. Veasey Introduces Bill to End Modern Day Poll Tax
H.R. 5557 forbids states from requiring solely cost prohibitive forms of ID to exercise the right to vote
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Marc Veasey, co-chairman of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, introduced H.R. 5557, The Poll Tax Prohibition Act, to ensure the underlying costs of restrictive photo voter ID laws don’t prevent everyday Americans from exercising their right to vote. Three years after the Shelby County v. Holder decision gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Rep. Veasey remains committed to protecting voters from the modern day poll tax.
At face value, requiring a photo voter ID to cast a ballot might not appear as offensive as a poll tax. But since the 2013 Shelby decision, 33 states have implemented laws that again make it difficult for traditionally disenfranchised communities to cast their ballots. Of those 33 states, nine states now only accept very specific forms of photo voter ID – with Texas’ law being the most restrictive in the nation.
Considering the barriers harsh photo voter ID laws present for minority, senior, student and disabled voters and the obstacles are comparable to those created by a poll tax. For example, restrictive photo voter ID laws are especially challenging for elderly, disabled, or low-income Americans who have to tap into their limited funds to pay for the acceptable ID or to obtain supporting documents like a birth certificate to apply for the acceptable “free” IDs.
“In America, voting is a right, not a privilege and as the lead plaintiff in Veasey v. Abbott, I’ve been fighting to restore access to the ballot box since my days in the Texas State Legislature. Now with the presidential elections right around the corner, the urgency to protect the sacred right to vote is needed more than ever,” Congressman Veasey said. “For many of the low-income Texans I represent, demanding that they show a very select few forms of ID presents an unnecessary barrier to casting their ballots, just like the poll taxes of the Jim Crow era.”
Original cosponsors of the Poll Tax Prohibition Act include Representatives Joyce Beatty (OH-3), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), Elijah Cummings (MD-7), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Keith Ellison (MN-5), Marcia Fudge (OH-11), Raul Grijalva (NM-2), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Colombia), Jared Huffman (CA-2), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Hakeem Jefferies (NY-8), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Charles Rangel (NY-13), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24).
To view the full text of the Poll Tax Prohibition Act or to schedule an interview with Congressman Veasey about his work as Co-Chair of the Voting Rights Caucus, please contact Paloma Perez at paloma.perez@mail.house.gov or at 202-225-9897.
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