Editor,
I recently came across a column written in the Daily Lobo by guest columnist Dayona Dodd on Aug. 21 and was baffled. I cite particularly the statement “People who are not legal American citizens should not be able to vote in elections; that’s in the U.S. Constitution” that Dodd used as a reason to require everyone to get a state-issued identification card in order to vote.
The state of New Mexico charges $10 for a four-year and $18 for an eight-year nondriving state-issued ID, according to the MVD website. So, every nondriver would be forced to pay a tax in order to vote of at least $10 every four years.
Under the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a document that Dodd threw about in her article so fervently, albeit with little knowledge, states: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.”
I am confused how forcing me to pay out of pocket, to the government, in order to vote in clear violation of the Constitution is going to lead to less government intervention, but then again there is a lot of points in Dodd’s article that did not make much sense.
Adam Smith
Prospective UNM student
