![]() However, Judge Wingate wrote that state and local election officials were "unable to provide any data illustrating whether Mississippi has a widespread ballot harvesting problem" when asked in court. ![]() ![]() "Senate Bill 2358 is now law and Mississippi's elections are safer because of it," Reeves said. Tate Reeves said in a video address earlier this year that across the country "bad actors have used ballot harvesting to take advantage of elderly and vulnerable voters." He said the practice is an effort to undermine the democratic process. Many Republicans have argued this practice leads to vote stealing and fraud, which studies have found to be extremely rare in United States elections. Supporters of the Mississippi law argued it was necessary to prevent ballot harvesting, which is when someone collects and returns other people's ballots. "What is important now is to make sure everyone who is eligible to vote does vote in the upcoming elections." "We are glad that the Court recognized the federal guarantee to voters with a disability or language barrier to select a person of their choice to provide them assistance," he said. Opponents of Mississippi's law say voters should be able to choose who helps them vote - including a friend or someone from a community organization.Īhmed Soussi, a staff attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in a written statement that "Mississippians may now continue to assist voters without the fear of prosecution." Under SB 2358, not following these restrictions is punishable by imprisonment of up to one year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $3,000. Under the new law, though, only election officials, postal workers, a family member or household member or a caregiver would be able to assist these voters in mailing back their ballot. In Mississippi, the state's absentee-by-mail voting program is for limited groups of voters - people out of town on Election Day, people 65 or older and people with a temporary or permanent physical disability. SB 2358, which was signed into law earlier this year, set new limits on who can collect and transmit a ballot that was mailed to someone else. District Court Judge Henry Wingate wrote, "voting polls are expected to extend outstretched hands of welcome and provide unfettered access to conscientious citizens anxious to enjoy 'participatory democracy'- whether those citizens be among the vulnerable and the disabled." Voting rights and disability rights advocates, who filed the lawsuit, argue Mississippi's law violates a federal protection that allows a voter to choose who helps them cast a ballot. The law, known as Senate Bill 2358, creates new restrictions for who can assist someone while voting by mail. District Court in Mississippi on Tuesday temporarily blocked a voting law in the state that was supposed to go into effect July 1. The website also publishes content from American Public Media and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.A U.S. This story is fact-based and, like all others reviewed, relies on credible sources of information. News on the website is derived from NPR and often utilizes minimally loaded language, such as this Arkansas State Board of Education assumes authority over Marvell-Elaine school district. ![]() In review, the KUAR – NPR – Little Rock website reports news and radio programming information with a slight liberal bias. NPR stations receive less than 1% of their funding from the federal government. Revenue is derived through institutional grants, individual contributions, and fees paid by users of the Public Radio Satellite System. KUAR – NPR – Little Rock is owned and broadcast by UALR Public Radio. Read our profile on the United States media and government. KUAR – NPR – Little Rock is an NPR FM radio station (89.1 FM) based in Little Rock, Arkansas serving the surrounding area.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |