A coalition of voting rights groups is now asking a federal court to block Senate Bill 2358 on behalf of the three Okolona residents along with Disability Rights Mississippi and the League of Women Voters of Mississippi.
The Mississippi Democratic Party must allow Bob Hickingbottom to challenge Brandon Presley for the party’s nomination for governor in the August primaries, a state judge ruled on May 26.
“Mississippi is among the very few states that refuses to modernize the voter registration process and adopt online voter registration,” Drs. Merivaki, Baker and Chamberlain write. “This policy is now used in 42 states and Washington, D.C., so it’s unclear where the resistance comes from.”
“The Mississippi Free Press is a nonpartisan outlet; these are my opinions,” MFP Publisher Kimberly Griffin writes. “This column is actually more concerned with genuinely competitive elections and ensuring that we have a healthy ecosystem that supports democracy at large. Any super-majority of any kind does not support a healthy democracy.”
Secretary of State Michael Watson writes about the importance of Mississippi elections and reflects on his work with the legislature to ensure security and accessibility for all voters throughout the state. ”Mississippi told me what was needed to secure our elections, and I’m proud of our work to reaffirm to Mississippians the vote they cast is the vote counted, but we can’t stop there,” he writes.
Mississippi election officials will be able to purge names from voter rolls more easily if Gov. Tate Reeves signs House Bill 1310 into law.
Hopes for restoring a ballot initiative system in Mississippi are alive again as the Mississippi Senate reopened the possibility one week after a Senate leader killed the legislation last week amid differences with the Mississippi House.
Mississippians who collect or transmit a mailed absentee ballot on behalf of someone else could be charged with a misdemeanor offense and face up to one year in a county jail or a fine of up to $3,000 after Gov. Tate Reeves signed Senate Bill 2358 into law on Wednesday.
Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson celebrated the passage of new voting restrictions on March 14, 2023, saying that banning “ballot harvesting” is necessary “to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat” in Mississippi elections.
Mississippi Journalism and Education Group is a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization (EIN 85-1403937) for the state, devoted to going beyond partisanship and publishing solutions journalism for the Magnolia State and all of its people.
125 S. Congress Street #1324
Jackson, MS 39201
info@mississippifreepress.org
tips@mississippifreepress.org
events@mississippifreepress.org
601-362-6121
The Mississippi Free Press is a project of the Mississippi Journalism and Education Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit journalism organization (EIN 85-1403937).
