Sadly the days when strangers could be trusted are long gone. Years ago trust was doled out with great abandon. Everyone had the benefit of the doubt.

Today, however, we live in world in which our Social Security numbers identify each of us. We pay bills electronically and our paychecks get dropped into our bank account digitally. With that technology however our identity becomes a bit more precious and a bit more difficult to prove.

Verifying our identities is a necessary fact of modern life.

Banks, airports, hospitals — our identity is questioned almost daily. And that’s OK. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Yet, ironically, any of us can walk into a polling place on Election Day and be allowed to vote without being questioned.

Something is obviously wrong with our voting system.

The “fix” is fairly simple: require an ID before allowing people to vote.

Some residents fear that doing that will worry some older residents who remember the Jim Crow days when all kinds of outlandish measures were used by the white establishment to prevent blacks from voting.

Our state is behind that now. Today, Mississippians from all walks of life, all races should feel comfortable voting and need the assurance that their votes are part of an accurate, fair system.

This week state Sen. Charlie Ross, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, proposed the Legislature convene in special session to deal with the issue.

While it may seem like an unnecessary waste of money to have to call lawmakers back to Jackson to deal with this issue, it’s an important one. And the issue is one with which lawmakers haven’t yet dealt.

We trust they will soon.