Voter ID Ballot Referendum Moving Forward
Mississippi's Voter ID petition drive is moving forward and has acquired the numbers needed to continue the process to place the initiative on the state wide ballot.
The petition drive had to capture 90,000 signatures divided between the five old congressional districts. According to sources close to the effort, over 22,000 signatures have been compiled in the First, Second, and Third Congressional Districts. The Fourth District has just over 20,000 signatures and the old Fifth District has over 21,000. In Circuit Clerk offices across the state there are several hundred more signatures awaiting certification and the certified totals in all districts are expected to rise. The hope is to have each district exceed 22,000 signatures at the end of the effort and given the totals thus far it looks promising. Plans are to deliver the petitions to the Secretary of State's office February 11th.
Many around the state have invested much of their time and effort to compile these signatures from walking streets and knocking on doors to businesses that have actively promoted and publicized the effort. This has truly been a grassroots initiative to change the face of Mississippi's voting future.
Showing an ID in order to prevent voter fraud just makes sense in the world in which we live. Many around the state have united to demand accurate and honest elections by ensuring that each and every vote is cast in the proper manner. Through the groundbreaking work of so many, there will be no more of the ploys and countless excuses to prevent Voter ID in Mississippi. There will be no more of the good ole boy politics, no more of the "vote early and vote often" mentality that abounds throughout our state. This one initiative will ensure that when you go to the polls and cast your ballot, your vote will count. After all, you vote to make a difference and to be heard. You vote because it's a right of our Republic. You vote so that the will of the people can be accomplished. So why not help protect this most sacred of all Republic rights and support the need for Voter ID. Thanks to so many, we may all finally have that chance.
Frank Corder,
Pascagoula City Councilman
