Texas TWO Poll Taxes: Same Requirements Caused 10,000s to Lose Medicaid Benefits

[McCamy Taylor]

Here is the excellent Fort Worth Star Telegram article about the TWO poll taxes that the state of Texas wants to implement at the same time.

http://www.star-telegram.com/389/story/76601.html

Forget that the Election Assistance Commission found no evidence of significant vote fraud and that voter ID programs only suppress lawful voters.

http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0713FF395B0C728DDDAD0894DF404482

Whatever you do, please do not read the link below about how a federal law passed last year that was supposed to cut Medicaid fraud actually ended up denying benefits to tens of thousands of people who were entitled to coverage. The irony is that the law required that the people applying for Medicaid present the same documents that the state of Texas will make voters present as part of the two step hurdle that will become the voter process in Texas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/us/12medicaid.html?ex=1177473600&en=17ef7d7099223a88&ei=5070

"A new federal rule intended to keep illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid has instead shut out tens of thousands of United States citizens who have had difficulty complying with requirements to show birth certificates and other documents proving their citizenship, state officials say.

"Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio and Virginia have all reported declines in enrollment and traced them to the new federal requirement, which comes just as state officials around the country are striving to expand coverage through Medicaid and other means.

"Under a 2006 federal law, the Deficit Reduction Act, most people who say they are United States citizens and want Medicaid must provide “satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship,” which could include a passport or the combination of a birth certificate and a driver’s license."

It is almost as if the Republican lawmakers in Texas read about the people who were denied their Medicaid benefits and said to themselves "Hmm. If we can figure out a way to make them show us a certified birth certificate AND a driver's license, then maybe many thousands of them will not bother trying to vote. " Especially if you keep in mind that people will do just about anything to get the health care that they need. Voting? Who is going to jump through a hoop for that?

Ordinarily, the Department of Justice would have to sign off on any election laws coming out of the state of Texas, because of the Voting Rights Act, and this double poll tax would get shot down before it ever got out the door. However, Al Gonzales has a history of overriding his own career Justice Department employees and letting Voting Rights Act violators get away with their criminal activity--for the good of the Republican Party.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/McCamy%20Taylor/17

He can be counted upon to do it again, if he is still in office.

And last fall, the Supreme Court let stand an Arizona law requiring that voters show a photo ID when they cast a vote.

What is this latest witch's brew from Texas going to do? If the same requirements kept people from getting health insurance for their sick kids, you can be damn sure that it will cause even more people to give up all thoughts of voting.

:grr:

[Igel]

1. HB 626 won't pass, so it doesn't matter.

House Bill 218 might well pass but then get killed in the upper chamber. If it passes it'll go through rounds and rounds of legislation until the author's grandchildren have retired.

There's no way the legislators would implement *both* of them, since one would effectively replace the other.