Voter ID decision may roll to Mississippi
Could the high court decision help voter ID legislation pass in Mississippi since it removes at least one concern?
State Sen. Terry Burton, R-Newton, chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, thinks so.
Although there’s been no evidence of this kind of voter fraud in Mississippi, he believes it’s high time to make such changes. “We shouldn’t have to wait for a lot of instances of fraud to react,” he said. “We need to do anything we can to maintain the integrity of the process.”
State Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, said demanding photo IDs reminds him of the days when he and other African Americans were forced to pay poll taxes just to be able to vote.
“We suffered for a long time,” he said. “We’re much better off today, but I want that process to continue since there is no evidence of voter fraud at the polls.”
In 1890, Mississippi’s constitution did all it could to stop black Mississippians from voting through poll taxes, literacy tests and other measures. Other Southern states followed Mississippi’s lead – only to see poll taxes eventually barred by a constitutional amendment in 1964.
Clarion Ledger
4/29/8
