Ballot placement

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Editorial, 9/11/8

Gov. Haley Barbour’s decision on Tuesday – acting as state elections commission chairman – to place the special U.S. Senate election at the bottom of the Nov. 4 ballot effectively diminishes the importance of a rare and critical statewide vote.

While arguably the correct application of existing law, it was almost immediately contested in a court filing by an election commissioner in Pike County.

The outcome isn’t known today.

The law needs to be changed to clearly direct ballot placement of special elections in the context of statewide importance. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has proposed a package of election law reforms; that change should be a recommendation.