A committee of the Mississippi House passed three measures this week to make it easier for people to participate in elections.
The least controversial one would allow early in-person voting, no matter the reason, starting 14 days before the election.
That sensible and potentially fraud-deterring measure, though, would probably be killed by the Senate if it gets out of the House, says the chair of the Senate Elections Committee.
Why?
Under current state law, you cannot vote in advance except by absentee ballot, and only for three possible reasons: You are disabled, a senior citizen or going to be out of town on Election Day.
Not only is the current system too restrictive, but it also is prone to fraud, as absentee ballots are the easiest and most-used avenue to stealing votes.
The majority of states now allow voters to cast their ballots early in person, usually at the courthouse or some other government-supervised polling place. So should Mississippi.
