NAACP: Barbour’s comments could suppress turnout

WDAM, 10/29/8

Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson says Gov. Haley Barbour’s comments questioning the legality of thousands of new voters has the potential to discourage some from voting.

Barbour recently told The Financial Times that “not all” new voters in the state were legal because federal law requires them to show identification when they register or when they vote at the polls.

Johnson said the governor’s statement “creates an atmosphere where individuals may feel as if they may commit some crime or do something wrong by turning out at the polls.”

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has released figures showing that the eligibility of 34,066 newly-registered voters couldn’t be verified. Some of them may have to show ID.