A special House committee on Thursday began work on three issues that have stumped Mississippi lawmakers for years: restoring voters’ right to sidestep the Legislature and put issues on a ballot, restoring voting rights to convicted felons and allowing people to easily vote before election day.

Members of the House Select Committee on Voters Rights heard from Samantha Buckley, director of policy for the Secure Democracy Foundation. Her presentation made clear that Mississippi is far behind the curve on dealing with these three voting rights issues.

House Speaker Jason White has tasked the bipartisan panel — one of four select committees he formed to tackle complex issues before the next legislative session — to hold public hearings on the issues and craft legislation.

“Once again, the H

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