Mississippi uses an open party primary system in that a voter does not have to be a Democrat to vote in next Tuesday’s Democrat Primary Election nor does one have to be a Republican to vote in the Republican Primary Election held at the same time and places.

All that is required for you to vote next Tuesday is that you be a registered voter.

Here’s the catch (please bear with me if I’m repeating subjects already covered in this column and elsewhere). If you choose to vote the Democratic Primary, you will only be able to vote for candidates who are Democrats. Vice versa if you choose to vote in the vote in the Republican Primary.

Further, if you choose to vote in the August 2 Democrat Party Primary Election, you cannot vote in the August 23 Republican Party Primary Runoff Election. And again, vice versa.

You can, however, vote for a Republican and/or Democrat and/or independent in the November 8 General Election. All candidates’ names will appear on one ballot on November 8.

And, there’s still time to register to vote in the November 8 election, Panola Circuit Clerk Joe Reid said. The deadline to register to vote in the November election is October 7.

These lines have been written, and in some cases repeated, to address specific and general questions posed to us this week by readers.

Louisiana offers open

primary, single ballot

Mississippi’s open primary system is not to be confused with Louisiana’s system of single ballot open primaries. There, every candidate from any party, along with independents, appear on one ballot.

Louisiana’s system is the product of former Governor Edwin Edwards, according to an article in Slate.com, which stated that he pushed the policy through to gain advantage in his bid for re-election in 1975. It worked well but came back to haunt in 1991 when KKK member David Duke used the single ballot system to gain a spot in the runoff against Edwards and gave birth to the campaign slogan “Vote For The Crook: It’s Important.”

Incidentally, Edwards recently completed his eight-year sentence in federal prison for accepting bribes in return for lucrative riverboat casino licenses.

The twice-divorced, 84-year-old great grandfather looks great and is engaged to what the Times-Picayune described as a “boxum blonde from Alexandria, a Republican in her 30s.”

Edwards and his fiancé are working with television producer on a possible reality show featuring the “silver fox” himself in a new career.

Where to call, write members of Congress:

Representative
Bennie Thompson
P. O. Box 356
Marks, MS 38646
(202) 225-5876

Representative
Alan Nunnelee
P. O. Box 218
Hernando, MS 38632
(202) 225-4306

Senator
Thad Cochran
113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5054

Senator
Roger Wicker
555 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6253