Greenwood Commonwealth. August 18, 2023.
Editorial: Absentee Ballots Are Difficult
In the days leading up to the Aug. 8 primary, a significant decision by a federal judge may have been somewhat overlooked.
U.S. Judge Henry Wingate rightly put the kibosh on Mississippi’s efforts to heavily restrict who can help absentee voters complete their ballots.
Wingate called out the state law as an obvious violation of a superseding federal law, the Voting Rights Act, which says any voter who is blind, disabled or unable to read may receive assistance “by a person of the voter’s choice,” other than the voter’s employer or union.
The drafters of the state law said they wanted to cut down on efforts by campaigns to stuff the ballot box by hiring people to bring in as many absentee ballots as they can muster.
Absentee ballots are admittedly an area that is open to abuse. But efforts to reduce the chances of fraud need to be legal.
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Vicksburg Post. August 18, 2023.
Editorial: It’s one thing to develop workforce, but another to keep workers in Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves delivered quite the speech at the Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on Wednesday.
As with every other politician during an election year, he was quick to point out his successes on the economic development front. The COVID-19 pandemic, which killed millions, was touted as having a “silver lining” of Mississippi’s marketability for being open for business.
What Reeves didn’t say is, most Mississippians had no choice but to risk their lives to earn what they could and support their families.
The governor waxed poetic about all of the opportunities his administration has created for workforce development, “preparing the workforce for the jobs we need 50 years from now.”
Vicksburg and Warren County are prime examples of a place where high-paying jobs are prevalent for people with high levels of education. With the highest number of PhDs per capita in the state, a federal installation and a thriving hub for industry, our community is the poster child for workers being trained in Mississippi and choosing to stay in Mississippi.
However, for years, the Magnolia State has been plagued by “brain drain,” when students are educated in-state, trained for high-performing jobs and end up leaving Mississippi for states that either have higher pay or more available jobs.
The Vicksburg Warren School District is doing an excellent job of preparing its students for their next steps in life — but if you ventured to ask what those students’ future plans are, how many of them would stay in Mississippi?
Reeves was correct when he said, under his administration, the state’s average per-capita income increased to $45,000. However, according to 2020 Census data, Mississippi’s median household income is still approximately 30 percent lower than the national average.
Staying in Mississippi is a choice, and Reeves would do well to focus just as much on quality of life as he has on quality of workforce.
It’s one thing to take pride in developing a quality workforce that is equipped to bring economic success to the state, but it’s an entirely different matter to give that workforce a reason to live and work in Mississippi.
If elected to another term, let’s hope Reeves chooses to devote energy to making Mississippi a place workers want to live and work.
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