MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One of the big knocks against my home state of Mississippi is that it is a backwards state. That was dispelled somewhat this year when the legislature finally voted to get rid of the state flag that contained the Confederate battle emblem in its design. Voters approved a new flag in this week’s election. They also approved medical marijuana. And yet, when you hear Governor Tate Reeves speak, the backwards label comes back to the forefront.
Reeves vowed Thursday to do everything in his power to keep early voting and universal absentee voting from becoming a thing in Mississippi. His reason? Too much chaos, which is ridiculous. Mississippi is one of only six states without early voting.
Tennessee, which is just as conservative – if not more so – than Mississippi, has had early voting since 1994. And with the exception of a few glitches from time to time, it has been a booming success.
The Magnolia State only allows early in-person or mail-in voting for people over 65 – or those with disabilities or who will be away from home on election day. And even then, the process is a hassle.
There is simply no good reason why Mississippi cannot offer early voting – other than deliberate voter suppression. So while the state has come a long way from the Jim Crow days of denying voting rights, it still has not come – far enough. And that’s my point of view.