Who would have ever thought the cost of a 55-cent postage stamp would become a political issue? Lawsuits have been filed in Florida, Georgia and elsewhere that argue having to buy stamps for mail-in ballots constitutes a monetary requirement that is like an illegal poll tax.

The legal director of the ACLU of Georgia, which is representing Black Voters Matter, said, “Charging money for the right to vote is unconstitutional, whether it’s a penny or a dollar. Many voters lack internet access. Many voters lack a credit card, which is required to buy stamps online. One voter did not receive his book of stamps for two weeks after he ordered it.”

Voting rights groups say stamp requirements are another impediment that hits lower-income and minority communities hardest.

A Florida federal district judge in June rejected a motion by liberal groups that wanted free postage for mail-in ballots because the cost of stamps is like a poll tax. The judge compared stamps to the costs voters incur when driving or riding the bus to the polls.

The judge said, “Postage charged by the United States Postal Service — like the fee charged by any courier or the bus fare for getting to the polls to vote in person — is not a tax.”

The fact that more people are voting by mail in this country has created complaints about the cost of stamps. It became an issue in Louisiana when citizens over 65 gained the right to vote by mail because the ballot message says additional postage might be required.

I put two stamps on my first mailin ballot just to be safe, but when voters who complained said one stamp was really enough, I used only one the second time. Both ballots were small, however, and the Nov. 3 ballot promises to be much larger and it may take more postage.

Actually, how much postage is required isn’t supposed to be up to the voter. The Associated Press said election boards are required by federal postal regulations to include in the voter’s packet exactly how much postage is required to return their ballot.

Young voters have apparently also become a problem. The AP said they have little experience sending and receiving paper mail and visiting post offices. Some states require a copy of a valid ID, verification of college enrollment status or notary documentation, and all of that adds more weight to the ballot, which requires more postage.

The federal judge in Florida said prepaid envelopes aren’t necessary, but that is the simplest solution for election officials. That would nullify the complaint that having to buy stamps is like making voters pay an unconstitutional poll tax.

The Republican state elections chief in Ohio asked for the authority to prepay postage for the ballots, but the GOP-led Legislature has resisted that suggestion. A Cincinnati Republican state representative said it was an added expense for state government that is facing declining revenues because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The AP reported prepaid postage would cost Ohio $1.5 million on top of the $1.5 million it costs to mail ballot applications for the Nov. 3 presidential election. It added that opponents of prepaid postage argued it could lead to more mail-in ballots being requested than used.

In addition to complaining about the cost of stamps, those lawsuits filed in a number of states are also concerned about what happens to envelopes without stamps.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service answered a lot of voters’ concerns when she said the post office delivers every piece of election mail to its destination — with or without adequate postage.

She said, “We are proactively working with state and local election officials on mailing requirements, including postage payment. In cases where a ballot enters the mail stream without the proper amount of postage, the Postal Service will collect postage from the appropriate Board of Elections.”

That promise should ease many voters’ concerns, but advocates for those complaining about stamps don’t appear willing to accept what the spokeswoman said. The advocates argue that most voters, particularly voters who fear being disenfranchised, aren’t likely to mail a ballot without postage and trust the system to deliver it.

The state Election Commission in South Carolina accepted the simple solution. It agreed to provide prepaid absentee ballots for the November election. Although there are sizeable added costs, it should nullify many of those lawsuit complaints.

Louisiana’s governor and secretary of state were named in a lawsuit filed Monday that insists the state is making it too difficult for more voters to use the mail-in ballot system for Nov. 3. That is primarily because the Republican-dominated Legislature believes mail-in voting is too susceptible to fraud.

People at high risk for COVID-19, the coronavirus pandemic disease, were allowed to vote by mail in state elections in July and August, but not in November — at least up to now. If that changes, and it should, the state lawsuit could become null and void.Civil rights groups believe having to buy postage to vote by mail is like having to pay a poll tax. States could weaken that argument if they sent pre-paid envelopes to voters along with their ballots.

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