JACKSON – (AP) Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant says he thinks it would be a good idea for people in the state to voluntarily show identification when they vote today even though it is not required by law.
Republican Bryant says he believes voter ID will help prevent election fraud. He also says if people show ID to buy cigarettes and alcohol they should have to show it before voting.
Bryant's comments came last Wednesday in response to a question from The Associated Press after he spoke to a business gathering in Jackson sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Council.
Mississippians last year approved a voter ID constitutional amendment and legislators later voted put ID provisions into state law. However, the state needs federal approval for any voting changes and it has not received that.
Attorney General Jim Hood had no comment on Bryant’s statement.
