A Rare Win Against Voter Suppression

by dday

I really thought that Haley Barbour and his gang was going to get away with it, but the state Supreme Court grew a spine:

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the special election to replace Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) – who resigned last December – will appear near the top of the November ballot.

The court ruled 8 to 1 that the ballot layout approved by Republican Governor Haley Barbour violated state election law by listing the race at the very bottom of the ballot. Barbour was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to 1997 […]

Many saw Barbour’s choice as a hardball political tactic to discourage voter participation in a close Senate race. Democrat Ronnie Musgrove is within striking distance of unseating former Republican congressman Roger Wicker, whom Barbour appointed last winter to replace Lott.

They’re trying to hide this race because Musgrove is a former Governor and proven winner with a compelling story.

But the voter suppression tactics are going to sprout up like daisies as we get closer to Election Day. And that’s aside from the potential voter registration database glitches (which could just randomly eliminate people’s voter registration) and high turnout on Election Day which could end up with long lines and voters left out in the cold.

Some friends of ours have set up a Voter Suppression Wiki to call attention to a lot of these efforts. I’m certainly going to be checking in throughout the next month or so. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

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