system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do voter I.D. laws discriminate against minorities? If the reason is the cost of the I'd to the voter, why does the state or federal government not provide I.D.s to poorer people at little to no cost?
gpt
Cost isn't just measured in money, it's also measured in time.  Let's say you a) live in a city that isn't as dense as NYC or Chicago, and b) don't own a car.  So you ride-share with your neighbor to get to the bus route you need to ride back and forth to your job.  This basically has the effect of turning your 8 hour work day into a 10-12 hour work day.  Now you need to find time during normal business hours to get to a state-authorized agency for issuing ID, and god help you if you don't have a copy of your birth certificate because now you need to go to another state agency only open during business.  

Now if you're high school or college-aged, getting this time isn't necessarily a huge drain on your resources.  But if you're a single mother with two kids who also need to be watched during the day, visiting a couple of state agencies for a couple of hours of potentially wage-earning time is a huge deal.