Hosemann: Lazy research, bias evident in voter ID piece
The unsubstantiated claim as to the availability and the possession of photo identification by any voting population is totally false. In two statewide elections, which included both Democratic and Republican primaries, 99.9 percent of Mississippians exhibited satisfactory photo identification. No one was deprived of their right to vote. Particularly, the reference to the quote that our state continues “to deprive people of their vote, with the same sordid racial overtones continues today” is false, an unsubstantiated personal opinion and not those of the voting citizens of the state of Mississippi. No litigation was filed concerning Mississippi’s implementation of voter ID by the U.S. Department of Justice, any citizens group, or any citizen. This was not the case in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Texas, Arkansas, North Carolina or Georgia. But, it was in my state of Mississippi.
We received two two national awards for our outreach campaign and television advertisements. Two other states have requested information on how Mississippi addressed this issue. We welcome the opportunity to share how our citizens work together.
Mississippians remember our election past and are loathed to replicate it. However, we are not our father’s father’s Mississippi, and our future is now determined by the collective work of today’s citizens.
Delbert Hosemann
Clarion Ledger
8/30/14
Magnolia Tribune
