Voter ID law still faces obstacles in Mississippi

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, May 6, 2008

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week on Indiana’sstrict voter identification law, it would seem states are now freeto follow suit and enact rules requiring that voters show ID onelection day.

The question, particularly in Mississippi, is whether we canmove beyond voter ID opponents’ stale, tired arguments that somehowasking a person to show identification would be a deterrent tovoting. Opponents also like to claim that poor or older voterswould be less inclined to vote if they had to showidentification.

Unfortunately, given voter ID bills’ track record of failure inyears past, we remain skeptical that lawmakers will overcome thewell-entrenched obstacles confronting an ID law. The state Senateapproved a voter ID proposal put forth by Secretary of StateDelbert Hosemann, but the bill died in the House during the 2008legislative session.

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Opponents, including many Democrats and the NAACP, feelcompelled to resist the idea of the federal government gettinginvolved in a state issue like voting. They maintain the stateLegislature has the authority to dictate voting rules.

That’s all well and good, but there’s a problem when one chamberof the Legislature refuses to pass any kind of voter identificationmeasure.

Differences in approved bills could be ironed out in conferencewith the Senate, but House leadership is not even willing to gothat far. That’s another unfortunate reality of the voter IDdebate.

Voter ID discussions should not be about party, wealth, age orintimidation. Voter ID is simply a way to foster public confidencethat elections are being conducted fairly and above board.

Justice John Paul Stevens said as much in the court opinionupholding the Indiana law.

The law “is amply justified by the valid interest in protecting’the integrity and reliability of the election process,'” Stevenswrote.

After the ruling, Hosemann said Mississippians do not need thenation’s highest court to tell them “voter ID protects theintegrity and reliability of the electoral process, deters voterfraud and protects public confidence.”

U.S. Supreme Court justices clearly understand the fact.Everyone should, but it remains to be seen whether a Hoosier lawhas any impact in the Magnolia State.