Legislative Update 40

December 14, 2008

Dear Friends,

I hope you and your family and have taken advantage of some of the great holiday activities in our area. Some of my favorites so far have been the downtown Christmas parade, the singing Christmas tree at First Baptist Church Pascagoula, and a Festival of Carols at First Presbyterian Church Pascagoula.

The Time is Right for Fair and Responsible Election Reform

This week, I will be talking to media outlets across the state about the importance of passing a comprehensive election reform bill during the upcoming legislative session. I will be a guest on the Paul Gallo radio show tomorrow morning, Hal Comello’s Community Focus on Channel 19 at 6:30 on Monday and Wednesday nights, FOX 40 News in Jackson on Tuesday, and WCBI TV in Columbus on Wednesday.

In an effort to get the word out about my bill, I wrote the following opinion editorial, which has appeared in the Sun Herald and Mississippi Press:

While money, or the lack of it, will no doubt be the subject of much of the chatter around the capitol, budgetary constraints do not have to be the defining theme of the 2009 legislative session. With bipartisan effort and hard work, legislators will have an opportunity to address some pressing issues without breaking the bank.

One area ripe for creative action is our state’s election laws. Election reform is nothing new in Mississippi. Since the adoption of our current constitution, Mississippi’s elections laws have undergone a variety of changes, some self imposed and others federally mandated. Unfortunately, recent efforts to change election laws have been little more than partisan bullets calculated to improve the standing of one political party or another on Election Day. It does not have to be this way.

Beginning in January, lawmakers will have an opportunity to implement comprehensive election reform measures that will help to preserve the integrity of our elections while encouraging participation from all qualified electors. These worthy goals should not be draped in partisan jerseys.

Mississippi should follow the well worn path of other states that have been able to strike a balance between law enforcement and fears of intimidation by producing a fair and responsible election reform package that includes an identification requirement and a mechanism for early voting. For these reasons, I am proposing a comprehensive voter reform bill that addresses these important initiatives.

The specter of election fraud in Mississippi has done much to weaken the public’s trust in our election process. To restore this confidence, my reform package will include an identification requirement that is consistent with those adopted in our sister Southeastern states. States like Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas have enacted voter identification laws that recognize a wide range of identification documents. Alabama, as an example, recognizes hunting and fishing licenses as acceptable forms of identification. Supplementing this requirement with provisions that that allow for free identification cards to be provided to i.d.-less voters and exemptions for voters who were of voting age prior to the National Voting Rights Act of 1965 would go along way in assuaging the fears of voter identification critics without unduly softening the law.

Equally important, it does not appear that the implementation of a voter identification requirement in the above mentioned states has caused any decrease in voter participation. In a November report issued by the Brennan Center for Justice titled “Recent Voter Suppression Incidents,” only four of the above states, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee, reported incidents of voter suppression. Of these reported incidents, none were related to a voter identification requirement.

Another way Mississippi could modernize its election system is by joining 33 other states in allowing no excuse early voting. A study by the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate shows that in the 11 states that had early voting in both 2002 and 2004, turnout increased by an aggregate average of 7.2 percentage points as opposed to 6.2 in states without early voting. The election administrators in these states have also noted that early voting has allowed them more time to process ballots, relieved the strain on voting systems, cut down on the long lines at the polls, and reduced the number of poll workers needed.

Moving forward in this important area will take a combined effort of officials and private citizens. This type of synergy was demonstrated by the Secretary of State, legislators, election officials, and citizens who participated in the Comprehensive Election Reform Review Panels conducted across the state in the fall. It was also evidenced by residents who participated in a local voter reform committee I organized earlier this year. Working together in this way, the legislature and the state could usher in some important changes even in a bad budget year.

How to Contact Me

If you have any questions or concerns, I invite you to call me on my cell phone at 228-326-7649 or e-mail me at bjones@house.ms.gov. Please feel free to forward this report to folks in our district and let me know if I need to add someone to my list.

I will also be posting my updates and House related news on my campaign website at www.electbrandonjones.com.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Brandon