Comments on: My Dear Old Poll Tax http://www.juliansanchez.com/2008/11/04/my-dear-old-poll-tax/ Just another geek in the geek kingdom Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:38:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: モンクレール http://www.juliansanchez.com/2008/11/04/my-dear-old-poll-tax/comment-page-1/#comment-18261 モンクレール Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:05:41 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=2806#comment-18261 ng machines are expensive, but of course additional paper ballots and voting carrels/booths would be extraordinarily cheap. As would opening up further vot ng machines are expensive, but of course additional paper ballots and voting carrels/booths would be extraordinarily cheap. As would opening up further vot

]]> By: ゴヤール http://www.juliansanchez.com/2008/11/04/my-dear-old-poll-tax/comment-page-1/#comment-18084 ゴヤール Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:28:20 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=2806#comment-18084 r five hours to vote has a real effect on my ability to run my business, with net costs that run into the thousands of dollars. Lots of other self-employed people, or employed people whose employers aren’t inclined to follow the law, take the s r five hours to vote has a real effect on my ability to run my business, with net costs that run into the thousands of dollars. Lots of other self-employed people, or employed people whose employers aren’t inclined to follow the law, take the s

]]> By: Tybalt http://www.juliansanchez.com/2008/11/04/my-dear-old-poll-tax/comment-page-1/#comment-6233 Tybalt Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:01:16 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=2806#comment-6233 I guess your response, Franklin, is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I still want to point out that the problem with a poll tax isn't connected at all to its social utility, the problem is strictly with its artificial limitation of the franchise. I'm a professional, and therefore I run my own business; having to stand on line for five hours to vote has a real effect on my ability to run my business, with net costs that run into the thousands of dollars. Lots of other self-employed people, or employed people whose employers aren't inclined to follow the law, take the same position. Additional voting machines are expensive, but of course additional paper ballots and voting carrels/booths would be extraordinarily cheap. As would opening up further voting by mail, which is surely the cheapest way of all. I don't care much who is hurt and who isn't by a poll tax; what matters is that the more you take people out of the process, the less they care about it. America faces innumerable threats to its democracy; why create more of them needlessly? I guess your response, Franklin, is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I still want to point out that the problem with a poll tax isn’t connected at all to its social utility, the problem is strictly with its artificial limitation of the franchise.

I’m a professional, and therefore I run my own business; having to stand on line for five hours to vote has a real effect on my ability to run my business, with net costs that run into the thousands of dollars. Lots of other self-employed people, or employed people whose employers aren’t inclined to follow the law, take the same position.

Additional voting machines are expensive, but of course additional paper ballots and voting carrels/booths would be extraordinarily cheap. As would opening up further voting by mail, which is surely the cheapest way of all.

I don’t care much who is hurt and who isn’t by a poll tax; what matters is that the more you take people out of the process, the less they care about it. America faces innumerable threats to its democracy; why create more of them needlessly?

]]> By: Franklin Harris http://www.juliansanchez.com/2008/11/04/my-dear-old-poll-tax/comment-page-1/#comment-6230 Franklin Harris Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:57:45 +0000 http://www.juliansanchez.com/?p=2806#comment-6230 I suspect Tyler Cowan is right that voting is just a form of signaling. That being the case, the willingness to pay the "tax" on voting is part of the signal: It intensifies the holier-than-thouness that voters experience. In a sense, the higher the tax (i.e., the longer people wait in line), the more holier-than-thouness voters get out of voting. You get what you pay for. I suspect Tyler Cowan is right that voting is just a form of signaling. That being the case, the willingness to pay the “tax” on voting is part of the signal: It intensifies the holier-than-thouness that voters experience. In a sense, the higher the tax (i.e., the longer people wait in line), the more holier-than-thouness voters get out of voting. You get what you pay for.

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