Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says Mississippi’s voter ID law was crafted with input from the U.S. Department of Justice, which was completely different than Texas’ voter ID law that was struck down this week by the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. “We took a completely different tactic than Texas,” Hosemann said Thursday. “We did it right.” He said the voter ID law struck down in Texas had a charge to verify birth certificate and no funds were provided for a public awareness program. Hosemann said Mississippi will provide free rides to and from circuit clerk’s offices for individuals to obtain free voter photo ID cards that can be presented at the time of voting. If individuals need it, circuit clerks can search for a person’s birth certificate at the clerk’s office that can be used to verify that person’s identity so a voter ID card can be issued.
Hosemann said about 4,500 voter ID cards have been issued, which have helped some residents by providing identification that can be used to cash checks and other uses.
The state Legislature provided $226,000 for Hosemann to implement the voter ID bill. Other money was provided for litigation if any was filed.
Mississippi is one of several states where new voter ID laws will be tested for the first time in a presidential election. Mississippi’s law, which has been in place since 2013, has been used for other elections.
Full Article: Hosemann: State voter ID law will survive.