JACKSON, MS (WLOX) -
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says he's trying to determine how many Mississippians lack the type of photo identification that might eventually be required for voting.
Mississippians voted for a ballot initiative last year that required voters to show photo ID at the polls, and the state legislature passed the initiative.
The bill says anyone without proper identification can get a state-issued photo card, but no money was allocated to pay for the cards. The secretary of state is now trying to gauge how many the state will need to make.
Under the bill, acceptable forms of ID include: A state driver's license, an ID issued by any state agency, a valid passport or an employee ID with a photograph from any federal, state or local agency.
Voters may also bring a Mississippi firearms license, a military ID, a tribal id, or a student ID from any Mississippi college or university.
In the case of a citizen not having any of these forms of Identification, the state would be required to issue out a free voter ID card.
The voter ID requirement isn't law yet. It still requires approval the Justice Department, which has already shot down similar measures from Texas and South Carolina amid concerns they would dilute minority voting strength.
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