Supreme Court could strike down a rare Mississippi effort to improve voter access

Seldom in the history of the state has the Legislature passed laws, without being forced to by the federal courts, to make it easier for Mississippians to vote.

As COVID-19 spread in 2020, Mississippi legislators and election officials were criticized by national groups because of their nominal efforts to accommodate voters during the deadly pandemic. In the midst of the health scare, Mississippi legislators took one step to improve voter access.

Granted, it was a small step, but by Mississippi standards perhaps a landmark event. The Legislature amended state law to allow mail-in ballots to be counted if they arrived in the circuit clerk’s office within five days after Election Day.

Republican groups are now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that a law passed by the Republican-domin