Team behind the Mississippi Early Voting ballot initiative will move forward as petitions circulate.
Since the decision by the Mississippi Supreme Court to overrule the validity of Initiative 65, therefore calling into question Mississippi’s entire initiative process, several future ballot initiatives have been put on hold.
Petitions to place the Mississippi Early Voting Initiative #78 (MEVi78) have begun circulating throughout the state as of August 2, 2021. This proposed amendment to the Mississippi Constitution would give registered voters the right to vote early without an excuse.
House Representative Hester Jackson-McCray (D-40) is one of the sponsors of the MEVi78.
“I know you want the convenience of early voting. We have carefully followed the process and after 4 months have received permission from Secretary of State Watson to bring this petition to the people of Mississippi for their signatures. We must collect the required 106,109+ signatures, only from registered voters, in the next 12 month, to be on the November 2023 General Election ballot…let’s get started,” said Jackson-McCray
Jackson-McCray has recently collected the first 81 certified signatures in DeSoto County Clerk’s office. She indicated that the Mayor of Walls and two aldermen also supported her efforts.
If the initiative process is rectified by the Mississippi Legislature, this and others could appear on the 2022 general election ballot.
Jackson-McCray says “the gig elephant in the room” is whether or not Mississippi has five districts or four? She said she has received no reply from the Attorney General’s office regarding her July 7th letter asking the AG’s opinion on the initiative process.
To date there has been no reply.
“We believe the Secretary of State, or the Attorney General should request a declaratory
judgment of the Supreme Court. The Mississippi Legislature can fix the situation by placing a ballot initiative with the corrective language on to the November 2022 ballot, for the people of Mississippi to approve,” the release from MEV178 said.
You can read their petition below:
MEVi78 Petition Early Voting by yallpolitics on Scribd
Sarah Ulmer
