Republican legislatures in Alabama, Texas and South Carolina are trying to pass voter ID laws that make it mandatory for people to have a picture-ID to be able to vote. Before, utility bills were sufficient. Requiring a voter ID (typically a driver license) is problematic for large portions of the electorate like the elderly, the poor or minorities who don't necessarily have such thing.
I edited this interview of Rev. Scott Douglas from Birmingham, who bluntly says that these news laws (now effective in 8 states) are "just another way of installing the poll tax."
