Mississippi Today

Former elections official explains federal law not needed to keep noncitizens from voting

Published

1 month ago

March 21, 2025

mississippitoday.org – Trudy Berger – 2025-03-21 10:59:00

by Trudy Berger, Mississippi Today
March 21, 2025

Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) has been rolling around the halls of Congress for at least two years now. With the Democrats in control of the Senate and Joe Biden in the White House, it just could not build up enough steam to get over the proverbial hill, but this year is a different matter.

Trudy Berger

So, the question again is what is it and do we really need it? At its most simple level the act would require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time of registration. Sound simple enough – we don’t want undocumented immigrants voting, right?

Lend me your eyes for just a few moments and allow me to give you a few comments from the perspective of a retired election administrator (14 years’ experience) from a mid-sized county in Mississippi. Ensuring only citizens can vote is important, but there are more cost-effective ways of doing this. For instance, how many of you have renewed your Mississippi Drivers License for the one that has “Real ID”? You had to produce a certified copy of your birth certificate, didn’t you? Not to get too far into the weeds here, but the Secretary of State’s SEMS (Statewide Election Management System) already communicates electronically with the Department of Public Safety.

Why burden the voters, who would have to find their birth certificate, and the voter registration staff, who would have to handle and verify yet another document? There’s a high likelihood that the information already resides in a state system, which is where voter registration is designed to be managed – not at the federal level anyway.

It is already a felony to vote if you’re not a citizen. Layering on this requirement will result in an unfunded mandate, when what could be helpful from the federal government is sharing of data.

I spent my first 10 years as an election commissioner acting more like a cop, trying to enforce the law. Once a new commissioner was elected (Republican by the way) and came into the office asking a startling question: why aren’t we encouraging people to register to vote? Why are we only purging voters? At first, I said, well, because that’s our job – purging, voter roll maintenance. But then I went back to the U.S. Constitution – something every American should read at least once a year. Voting is an enumerated right. We need to ask ourselves why we would ever even consider doing anything to make it harder for people to exercise that precious right?

Let’s address the law of unintended consequences for a moment. If people aren’t registered, they can’t vote. The SAVE Act will make it harder for people to register – when you move your aging mother, father, aunt, uncle, across state lines to live with you, think about how difficult it’s going to be to get them registered to vote. For married women whose last name is not the same as is on their birth certificate – it’s no longer a simple matter for them to register to vote if the SAVE Act passes.

So, as we continue to bemoan the low turnout numbers in local elections, just remember everything we do that makes it more difficult will further discourage voters. I could bore you with statistics that show how astonishingly low voting by noncitizens really is. Like so many other issues of the day, people are getting worked up with no real facts on the table to justify the outrage. All I can offer is my opinion based on my experience – the SAVE Act seeks to fix something that just ain’t broke. Do we need the SAVE Act? No, we do not.

Trudy Berger served 14 years on the Pike County Election Commission and six years as a member of the Election Commissioners’ Association of Mississippi.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

24 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.