Mississippi has been reluctant in the past to allow in-person early voting, but maybe it’s poised to change that.
This week, a proposal came out of a Senate committee that would allow any registered voter to cast a ballot in person for 15 days prior to an election, no excuse needed. Forty-seven states have done something similar.
Currently, the only people who can vote early in Mississippi are those who qualify for absentee ballots because they are either over 65, disabled or going to be out of town on Election Day.
In-person early voting is better. More people could take advantage of it, which would theoretically increase voter turnout, always a desirable goal. More importantly, it would be less susceptible to fraud or disqualifying error, as the votes would be cast in the local circuit clerk’s office under the oversight of trained election administrators.
In-person early voting should reduce the demand for absentee ballots and, in the process, lessen the amount of cheating.
