Democracy in Mississippi

Mississippians vote on Tuesday!

           Whether your political ideology follows televangelist Pat Robertson, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson or someone altogether different, Mississippians have plenty of reasons to vote on Tuesday.

            If you want to remove the government’s grubby hands from yet another opportunity to take your property or defend economic development tools to lure more jobs to the state, you have a reason to vote. Initiative 31 on eminent domain prohibiting government taking private property for private certainly has potential to impact thousands of people.

            If you worry about the sanctity of voting, the integrity of our system or have concerns about adding barriers between voters and their privilege, Tuesday’s general election ballot has something for you, too. Initiative 27 will allow voters to decide whether to require identification before voters can cast their ballots in future elections.

            If you worry about the sanctity of life, the government’s infringement on a woman’s body, gray areas in between, you may want to strongly considering going to vote on Nov.8. Initiative 26 will try to define “personhood” as the moment of fertilization, whenever that means. This has drawn lots of media attention from all over the country and beyond, since many people view this as a strategy toward overturning women’s right to have an abortion in the country.

            If you care about leadership on county and state levels, do your duty and vote. A close friend of mine will spend this election somewhere in Iraq. Supposedly, our government’s actions over there will help that Middle Eastern nation carry out free and impartial elections. It’s a shame so few of us take the minimal effort of voting in our own nation.

Corey

            We complain and grumble most of the year, but Tuesday is one day where our voices can be heard loud and clear. If you don’t believe me, ask Al Gore. Heck, just ask Starkville Alderman Richard Corey, who won his first election by a single vote.

            As a state, we have the opportunity to choose to direction of our state for the next four years. Will we choose three-term Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree or Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant? If we want a governor whose position on immigration makes Haley Barbour look like a fence-sitting liberal, we’ll probably go with GOP and Bryant. If we want a city leader who has supported quality of life issues including education, you may go with Democratic nominee DuPree.

            No matter your ideology or personal decisions for voting, do it. However, I do make one request: Educate yourself on the issues and the candidates before casting ballots next week. Beyond catchphrases and political pandering, most races this year have candidates with genuine differences. Our responsibility as voters involves finding out who will best represent us.

            Remember, voting—or lack of it—has consequences. Leaders we select for the next four years will have wide range of latitude in shaping public policy on county and state government for the next four years. That’s a long time for us to spend under the leadership of someone elected because a few too many of us didn’t do our homework or just stayed home. 


To see a sample ballot used for Tuesday's election, click here.