Voter ID: Sec. of State: More Than One Thousand Cards Issued

JACKSON, Miss.–With a primary election coming up June 3, you need to make sure you have an acceptable form of ID to show at the polls. Sec. of State Delbert Hosemann believes that no one will be disenfranchised by the state’s new voter ID law and that most Mississippians who need a card, will have one.

He said Wednesday that his office has tracked 1,011 new voter ID cards being issued since it was announced last year that voter ID would be happening.

“Our research shows only 0.8% of Mississippians lack acceptable photo ID.  Our Agency and the Circuit Clerks have been diligently working to reach these voters to ensure they receive a Voter ID,” said Hosemann.  “This is our first milestone.”

He said the voter education campaign kicked off into high gear in January and since then, one and a half million pieces of literature about voter ID have been distributed.

“Only Mississippi voters who lack an acceptable form of photo ID are eligible to receive a Mississippi Voter ID card,” read a news release from Hosemann’s office Wednesday. “Voter ID cards are issued free of charge.  Transportation assistance and birth certificate verification are also available to voters who need a Mississippi Voter ID.”

Hosemann’s office began implementing voter ID last year after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the notion of pre-clearance. That means now that state’s don’t have to get prior approval for voter ID from the federal government. The court’s ruling put the ball in Congress’s court, saying the U.S. House and Senate could act to make new laws against voter ID.

The NAACP has historically, and will likely continue to oppose voter ID on the grounds that they believe it is a continuation of practices that could cause minority voters to stay away from the polls.

Hosemann has countered that argument by saying the state has more registered African-American voters than white.