Delaware City will deny citizens their voting rights if they owe money to the city

[LynneSin]

Sounds like a fricking poll tax to me!

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100428/NEWS02/4280347/Election-rules-in-Del.-City-in-doubt

In the weeks before their April 6 election, Delaware City officials posted a notice at the city's library, gas station, grocery store and post office.

It listed "voter qualifications" with the No. 1 requirement stating, to be eligible, a voter must have "currently paid all City taxes, fees, charges, liens and debts that are due."

More simply put, if you owe Delaware City money, you can't vote in its local elections.

"You need to be square with everything in the city," Mayor John Martin explained.

But the rules, written into the city's code almost 50 years ago, might violate the state constitution, as well as the 14th and 24th amendments of the U.S. Constitution, raising concerns this could be an unusual case of voter disenfranchisement.

The state Attorney General's Office, which received complaints following a disputed city council election, is reviewing the qualifications.

"The requirements that a voter be current on taxes and fees may raise constitutional issues," office spokesman Jason Miller said.

The Attorney General's Office will send every municipality in the state a letter alerting them to "the risk of voter qualifications that violate the federal Constitution," with instructions to have them removed, said Jennifer Oliva, deputy state solicitor.

Thank goodness we have a kick ass AG with Beau Biden!

[madinmaryland]

1. What a disgrace! It "may" raise constitutional issues?

:wtf:

It DOES raise constitutional issues.

[LynneSin]

4. Seriously! I thought I lived in blue state Delaware not Arizona

:grr:

[madinmaryland]

5. You could move to Maryland!!

:D

[LynneSin]

7. And pay Sales Tax - oh hell no!

Seriously!

[madinmaryland]

8. But if you don't pay your taxes here, you can still vote!

[LynneSin]

11. But I don't live in Delaware City

so it's no problem to me!

[hobbit709]

2. All of a sudden they want to enforce a 50 year old law

What's next? Requiring horseless carriages to be preceded by a flagman.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Don't think that will fly.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

6. BLATANT Constitutional Violation

It amounts to a poll tax.

Somebody get the Republican Party and the Teabaggers on this. We all know how much they love and cherish the Constitution, and ALL of its various provisions, right? Why, I'm sure they're loading up their assault weapons and heading over to Delaware as we speak, ready to do whatever is necessary to protect our precious Constitution.

[glinda]

9. these people have no concept of correct Constitutional interpretation. They are like

people that have their own Bible interpretation transformed into hatred.

[Cleita]

10. Seems like another way to suppress the minority "brown" vote who

vote for Democrats. It seems this is the Republican plan for winning back the House and Senate in November. Also, it's unconstitutional. It seems we are going to have to put a lot of citizen monitors out their this November to record voting violations. Sigh.....:-(

[bridgit]

12. That just smells illegal, and can be broken all the way down to a late book fee at the library

Its hard to imagine a wobblier house of cards