Sec. of State calls party registration lawsuit a ‘serious mistake’

The Picayune Item, 6/12/7

The Mississippi Democratic Party made a “serious mistake” with a lawsuit that could force voters to register by political party and limit primary election participation by party affiliation, Secretary of State Eric Clark said Monday.

U.S. District Judge W. Allen Pepper ruled late Friday that the state of Mississippi must have a party registration system and voter identification law in place by 2008.

If the ruling stands, all Mississippi voters would have to reregister. Pepper’s decision would allow voters not wanting to register by party to designate themselves as unaffiliated, or independent.