Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson is asking for the public’s help in getting HB 586 advanced out of committee in the state Senate.
The bill seeks to have the Statewide Elections Management System compared with the state’s identification databases to ensure non-United States citizens are not registered to vote in this state.
“After sitting in the State Senate for 15 days, the Proof of Citizenship to Vote legislation – HB 586 – (which passed the House with a 76-39 vote) was finally assigned for committee work on Friday. Unfortunately, the bill was double-referred to both the Accountability, Efficiency, and Transparency Committee and the Elections Committee,” Watson wrote in an email to supporters.
Watson said that not only is this legislation good public policy, “and the right thing to do,” Mississippi is currently defending a lawsuit on a similar issue that would more than likely be resolved by passage of our legislation.
“Additionally,” Watson said, “given the Biden Administration’s relaxed policy towards illegal immigration, this issue is primed to become much more pressing across the country. Now is the time to act.”
The committee deadline to pass this bill out of the two Senate committees is today, March 2nd.
“If making sure only eligible Mississippi residents who are United States citizens can vote in our elections is important to you, please help by calling and/or emailing your State Senator and the Lt. Governor’s office and ask them to move the bill through the committee process before the deadline tomorrow,” Watson asked supporters, adding, “You can make the difference in making this happen.”
Frank Corder
