A bill passed out of the Senate Elections Committee this week stipulates that Mississippians who don’t vote over a period of time or respond to a mailed confirmation notice would be removed from the rolls. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann explains.
“It’s not necessarily to remove people from the voter rolls. I want to get that straight. What it says is, if you haven’t voted in two presidential elections, we send you a postcard to make sure you’re still here. And if you don’t respond to that postcard, I think it’s another four years, then they will take you off the rolls," said Hosemann.
Jarrius Adams with the non-profit Mississippi Votes disagrees with Hosemann. He thinks Senate Bill 2588, if passed by the legislature, will suppress the vote.
“Similar language we have seen in other states and because of that language in other states, it’s been removed and targeted low-income families, minority communities and young people. It will not have the implications that some folks suggest. It will be extremely harmful,” said Adams.
Hosemann says using the process outlined in the legislation would take 8 or 10 years to remove someone from the voter registry. He added it would make obtaining a jury pool more efficient because he says some communities send out hundreds of summons to get 50 people.
The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement the right to vote shouldn’t be a use it or lose it policy.
