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State reviews voting
Published Thursday, October 9, 2008
NATCHEZ — In true democratic fashion, an election review reform panel will, with community member input, review the general democratic process in the State of Mississippi.
Created from Senate Bill 2910, the Comprehensive Election Reform Review Panel is traveling through the state this month making five stops to discuss with residents what can be done to improve the election process.
And today at 6 p.m. at the city council chambers, the panel will be asking for input from Adams County.
Panel member and Adams County Election Commissioner Larry Gardner said a number of topics will be discussed — voter identification, early voting, voter registration, absentee voting, voting patterns, election education and training of election officials.
He said the hope is that if things are improved, there will be more participation in the election process.
“That’s key to the democratic process,” he said. “You truly have the will of the people if you get people out to vote.”
And there are several stumbling blocks in the system right now, he said.
Voter identification is one major problem. Right now, voters do not have to show any form of identification in order to vote, he said.
Gardner said this causes illegal registration and punches holes in the system in general.
“That’s becoming an issue,” he said.
Showing forms of ID has become common in many arenas, and Gardner said it’s high time that’s transferred over to voting.
“Here in the U.S., you can’t get a job without two forms of ID,” he said. “You can’t get on an airplane, you can’t get a hotel room, you can’t do anything without some kind of identification.
“It’s just the way of life now.”
He said if voter identification is done in a simple way, it won’t be intimidating to the average citizen to go vote.
And there’s yet another problem when it comes to voting.
“Absentee voting is very cumbersome,” he said.
Having to fill out intricate paperwork in perfect form doesn’t always work out too well. Errors are found and, subsequently, ballots are tossed.
“It’s terrible the amount of votes we have to throw out because of technicalities,” he said.
Gardner said ultimately, the state doesn’t want another issue like the local elections in Wilkinson County.
“We just want to try to put together a program so we don’t get another one of those,” he said. “It destroys the democratic process.”
The first meeting was Tuesday on the Gulf Coast and Gardner said the participation was good.
After Natchez, the panel will make stops in Booneville, Flowood and Greenville.
All the findings and information will be presented to the state legislation on Dec. 1.
Comments
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 1:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have yet to understand how people can claim showing identification in order to vote can be intimidating. Unless you are trying to vote illegally, of course.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 5:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You got it OGD!!
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you are a first time voter and have no identification how do you register to vote in the first place.
Posted by happybunny (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you have to show ID, how ever will ACORN get all the homeless folks to vote in multiple counties??
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you are of age to vote, picture id is necessary. How much more simple can that be.
Posted by Natchez3 (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Even in Adams County there were people on the rolls that had been dead for years. In some polls they say they have no way of knowing if people are actually voting two, three or four times under different names. This has been going on for years.
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe its not true that there are more Democrats than Republicans; only more Democrat votes. :)
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
NO VOTE without picture ID
NO VOTE for illegal aliens
NO VOTE for felons
also only taxpaying citizens with a high school diploma should be allowed to vote, my opinion.
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I cannot be at this meeting at 6pm
I have a business to run and cannot leave
I hope folks there will speak up for VOTER ID and I am against same day registration and voting. All registration should be at least two months prior to an election so registration can be verified. Registration for voting should also require picture ID and proof of residency.
This is actually happening in Ohio, people can register and vote on the same day.
Also this "community group" ACORN - encourages fraudulent voter registration and is being investigated in many states for far too many instances of registration fraud to be considered legit any longer. ACORN has close ties to OBAMA.
Posted by happybunny (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 12:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Obama was their lead counsel and he also headed up their sister company, project vote. Both organizations are on the Obama campaign payroll. Smells fishy...
I agree with you Krogers!
Posted by sideline (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You smell something fishy because both of you stink. Thats down right wrong.
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 9:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What a shame......
HOW ACORN GOT ME INTO VOTE SCAM
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10092008/new...
Posted by Barrister (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 9:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why? Because everyone who has the right to vote does not board an airplane, check into a hotel room, or have a photo ID. If you need more information, I suggest you also check out MS's civil rights track record.
Why does it matter to you if someone registers and votes on the same day? Is it because you believe you know the profile of such a voter?
Posted by tedhinson (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 10:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No, it is because of groups like ACORN and their employees abusing their positions and intimidating some people into registering to vote multiple times. For instance, one lady has admitted to allowing herself to be registered over 70 times...and the Dallas Cowboys have shown up on registration papers in Nevada. All of this because the employees are paid based on the number of people they sign up. They are being investigated by the FBI and hopefully will spend a little time in the hokie.
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 11:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
...and because we had to work hard to get to the point in this country where we believed in voting rights for every man and woman of legal age. To allow multiple votes for some people makes a mockery of what we have tried to achieve. The fact that this possibly reflects on a particular profile of citizen or party is a shame. But it certainly is no cause to abandon seeing that voting is done properly and right.
Posted by oldshool (anonymous) on October 10, 2008 at 12:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Krogers thanks for you opinion but next time keep it to yourself.
Tedhinsion don't say nothing about the Cowboys cause thats my team.
Happybunny,Don't say nothing about my President,I take that to the heart.No matter what ya'll say OBAMA gone win and we gone have a President in there that's gonna mean and serve us some justice.McCain is to old to try and be anybody President,thats how I feel about it.
I am glad to see 1 of our kind in the White house any way,wonder if Obama gone have a Barbecue outside the white house on Sundays and have Lil Wayne to come and perform and have alot of broke down cars outside of it.Or maybe he might paint the white house,never really no but time will tell
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 10, 2008 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't help but wonder if the naacp has any dealings with acorn? Seems like a lot of other sleeze people do.
Posted by advanced_hominid (anonymous) on October 10, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Krogers, you said “only taxpaying citizens with a high school diploma should be allowed to vote, my opinion.”
...I get the feeling you probably pay taxes and you probably have a high school diploma. Maybe you even have a fishing license. If so, then congratulations on all that. But those should not be requirements for voting in my opinion. I don’t have a high school diploma, but I do have a college degree (it’s a long story). I work abroad and I don’t have to pay taxes for three years. Every month I send half my salary home. While Bush is constantly sending millions and billions out of the United States, I’m sending dollars back into the U.S. economy. But anyway, I’m not sure who to vote for… tell me who you’ll vote for so I can choose the opposite.
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