A Mississippi voter ID bill is headed to Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who has said he supports it as a way to protect the integrity of elections. The final version of House Bill 921 passed the Republican-controlled House 79-39 Thursday, with strong opposition from black representatives. It would require voters to show a driver’s license or other form of photo identification before casting a ballot. The bill is intended to enact a state constitutional amendment that 62 percent of Mississippi voters adopted in last November’s general election. Bryant has pledged to sign the bill into law. However, there’s no guarantee that the ID requirement will ever take effect.
Because of Mississippi’s history of racial discrimination, any new election laws must be approved by the U.S. Justice Department, which will check to ensure that the changes don’t dilute minority voting strength. The Justice Department in recent months has blocked voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina, two other Southern states that are also required to get election laws approved under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The department said the ID laws in those states would disproportionately hurt minority voters. Opponents in Mississippi, including most black lawmakers, have said requiring ID could suppress voter turnout among poor, elderly and minority voters who are less likely to have a driver’s license or passport.
Full Article: Voter ID gets final OK, heads to gov. | The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com.