Tea Party petitions for GOP-led Miss. voter ID

Associated Press - November 17, 2009 1:34 PM ET

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Gov. Haley Barbour's brother is going to Meridian Tuesday night to accept a batch of signatures gathered on voter-identification petitions.

The signatures were collected by the Tea Party, a conservative group supporting limited government.

Jeppie Barbour, like the governor, is a Republican. While Haley Barbour has not attended Tea Party gatherings, Jeppie Barbour spoke to the Meridian group last month.

Jeppie Barbour told The Associated Press on Tuesday he looked forward to seeing how many signatures the Tea Party collected.

The Republican-led initiative seeks let voters decide in November 2011 whether Mississippians should show ID before casting a ballot.

Supporters say ID would ensure fair elections. Opponents say it could intimidate older black voters once subject to Jim Crow laws.