Are we slaves to the Miss. Voter ID Laws?

Guy King
News Editor

“Who was the 13th President that held an office? You don’t know? Application to vote denied!”

That was told to so many of our grandparents and great grandparents when all they wanted to do was be able to register to vote. With the new voter identification laws that are being set in place, we seem to be going back to that place in time.

Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 was declared unconstitutional in 2013 and now 30 states have voter ID laws, including Mississippi.

According to an article published on June 23, 2014 by CBS News, 300 voters out of 400,000 failed to present an ID, and were turned around and did not return.

A June 3, 2014 Clarion Ledger article stated that only one voter was reported as not having an ID and turned around from being able to cast a ballot in the election. This is quite a jump from 1 to 300 in less than a 30 day period right?

The real question is why Mississippi would implement a law with knowledge that those who are of poor economic status or elderly may not be able to present identification.

I feel that Mississippi is slowly going back to its past, and not allowing the blacks to vote!  However, now blacks are not the only demographic that will be affected. The elderly, the young, the poor and other minority groups will also be affected by this law.

A Caltech/MIT survey estimated that between 910,000 and 3 million votes were lost due to registration problems in 2008. Another 1.8 million voters experienced equipment problems at the polls, making the total number of voters who were prevented from voting in 2008 greater than the margin of victory in the national popular vote in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004.

These new laws are only hindering the voting process because requiring a person who has already obtained a voter registration card to also present ID is ridiculous to me. Registered voters did their due diligence to prove who they were during the voter registration process.

Mississippi has almost 50 percent African-American voters that actually show up to every election and cast a ballot. I feel that the election of President Barack Obama for two terms has caused many republicans to come up with way to hinder other minorities from winning this office.

Until these laws are stricken down however, I encourage everyone to do what you have to do to be able to vote. If it’s an ID they want, get one. Don’t let these petty laws disenfranchise you and take away your voice.

Together, we can elect politicians who will not make laws that hinder our communities from prospering.