It is hard to say these days that the ballot initiatives to be voted on Nov. 8 will be as heavily partisan as they started out to be.
They are No. 26 Personhood, No. 27 Voter ID, and No. 31 Eminent Domain. On one ballot we have amendments dealing with life, voting and land.
In many circles in the state, it has been predicted that these amendments will help drive up turnout to favor Republican candidates. As of recently they are beginning to show signs of being less partisan.
Democratic Party Executive Director Rickey Cole said, “I believe there are going to be Republicans and Democrats voting yes and no on all three initiatives, and I don’t see any of them as being concretely partisan.”
Cole has always represented the “big tent” of the Democratic Party. He believes county and city governments are the bedrock of a strong political party. He has been involved with the party from when he campaigned for John Stennis and Sonny Montgomery. Cole also points out that “Haley Barbour and Leland Speed opposed eminent domain reform, and Speed sued to keep it off the ballot.”
Along with his statements, two things happened to begin changing to a less partisan mood toward the amendments.
First, Attorney General Jim Hood, the only statewide Democratic officeholder, came out recently in support of personhood. Here is what Attorney General Hood stated: “Support Personhood! I want to make my position very clear. Personally, I have always honored the sanctity of life at every age. As AG, I have defended every pro-life bill adopted by the Mississippi Legislature. I have assisted our lawmakers with pro-life legislation and will continue to do so.” He went on and made it clear that if the amendment is adopted, he will defend it if challenged.
Hood who is one of the more popular state officials. Regardless if he had stayed mute on the personhood amendment, he would probably still coast to re-election. In Carroll County, for example, where almost all the local races are decided in the Democratic Primary, the county votes heavily Republican in state and national races. Hood bucked that trend in both of his races for attorney general, taking the county along with Haley Barbour.
Next, the state Democratic Executive Committee endorsed Amendment 31 and called for a “yes” vote on the initiative. “The question on the ballot in Mississippi on Nov. 8 is simple: ‘Should government be prohibited from taking private property by eminent domain and then transferring it to other persons?’ By unanimous vote, our state Democratic Executive Committee answers ‘yes,’ and urges all Mississippi voters to answer likewise when they vote in November,” said Jamie Franks, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party.
On April 17, 2001, the state held the flag referendum, which was between the 1894 state flag design and the proposed new state flag design. This was the only decision on the ballot, and over 765,000 voters cast ballots. That election exceeded the 1999 governor’s race. We did not have any other races to compare to on that day more than 10 years ago.
This year with state races, legislative races and some local races, the three amendments have a lot of company on the ballot. It will be interesting to see county by county and by legislative district how the vote goes for the Democratic and Republican nominees and the “yes” votes and “no” votes on the amendments as far as party lines go.
• Ken Strachan, a Democrat, is a former mayor of North Carrollton and is serving as the coroner of Carroll County.
