JACKSON - Some members of the Mississippi Senate have accused their colleagues of trying to block debate on a bill that would require voters to present identification at the polls.
The Senate, on a vote of 30-18, passed the voter identification bill on Thursday. The bill now goes to the House.
Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, was upset about a move by the majority of senators to shorten debate on a bill.
Sen. Tommy Gollott, D-Biloxi, had requested a parliamentary move that shortens debate on a bill and only allows five minutes of discussion for both sides of a proposed amendment.
To delay the vote, which came after the Senate had been in session nearly three hours, Bryan submitted seven amendments on the date the bill would go into effect.
"It's important to let people have their say," Bryan said. "The only tool I have at my disposal is to offer a series of effective dates."
Sen. Alice Harden, D-Jackson, said Gollott's request was an attempt to "suppress people's rights to speak."
Gollott later said he wasn't trying to stifle anyone's free speech.
"I thought I would cut out a lot of repeating of things that happens during debate," Gollott said. "I didn't know I would cause an uprising with Sen. Bryan."
In previous years, debate over voter identification centered on how the law would be a reminder of the poll taxes and other tactics used to keep blacks from casting ballots in Mississippi. The political issue has divided lawmakers of both parties and races.
None of the black senators voted for the bill Thursday.
Senate Elections Committee Chairman Bobby Chamberlin, R-Hernando, said the legislation would prevent fraud at the polls. Chamberlin gave as an example a Corinth woman who was arrested for trying to vote in more than one precinct.
Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, who argued against the bill, said the legislation had an underlying motive. He said federal laws only require first-time voters to present identification. "I just can't understand how we can bring something beyond the requirements. This one bill has more blood on it than any other to be brought up in here," he said.
The federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires first-time voters registering by mail to provide some form of identification.
The federal act was designed to eliminate the kinds of voting snafus Florida experienced in the 2000 presidential election.
The ID requirement must be in place by the March 9 primary elections, said David Blount, spokesman for the secretary of state's office.
Under Mississippi's bill, voters could present one of 10 forms of identification, including a Mississippi driver's license, passport or pilot's license.
Chamberlin said Alabama, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Tennessee and South Dakota have similar identification requirements for voters.
The Senate amended the bill to make it a misdemeanor for anyone to use the identification law to intimidate voters.
Most of Bryan's amendments sought to keep the bill from ever taking effect. After his fifth amendment, Sen. Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, asked Bryan what date would be acceptable.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
