Mississippi Republicans will be winners in any reregistration

The Clarion-Ledger Editorial, 7/26/7

Under the Voting Rights Act, black citizens in Mississippi won something they hadn’t had in nearly 100 years – seats at the table. But whites, in most instances, still have more seats and so they control the menu. In some cases the control is greater than in Jim Crow days.

Today, the politics of race is very much alive and, as a consequence, the Voting Rights Act has been extended time and again.

Now, some are saying the June 8 decision of U.S. District Judge Allen Pepper that parties have a constitutional right to close their primary elections, if they so desire, will make the political divide permanent.