Mississippi
Early voting dies in MS Legislature. Concerns arose over new voting program, likely veto
Parts of ‘excused’ voting program that pandered to national GOP position on mail-in absentee voting dies with new voting program
MS Governor calls to eliminate income tax in State of the State address
Gov. Tate Reeves gives his State of the State address at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.
The Legislature had passed a measure on Tuesday to allow folks to more easily vote prior to an election day, but lawmakers held the motion back on a parliamentary motion to reconsider and then failed to vote on that motion before ending the 2025 Legislative Session on Thursday.
On Tuesday, both the House and Senate passed a bill that created a 22-day excused early voting program, which allowed folks to go to their circuit clerk’s office and vote and have the ballot counted into a voting machine if they had one of several excused reasons for not voting on election day.
However, both chambers held the bill’s passage back, and while the House on Wednesday before gaveling out the session had tabled that motion, the Senate did not, leaving the bill on the cutting-room floor.
Senate Elections Chairman Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, told reporters after the Senate adjourned for the year on Thursday that he wants to continue working on the legislation. Specifically, he wants to make sure the program replaces the state’s current in-person absentee voting program and not simply add a new option of voting in addition to that.
“It was really just some cleanup language that we were going to have to do when we came back anyways,” England said. “And, look, that’s certainly a product of the House going home last weekend and us having about five hours together, as opposed to a weekend together to work on getting a well put together conference report.”
The House last weekend skipped what is commonly known as conference weekend, when lawmakers typically has out final budget proposals before hurriedly passing them through the chamber the following Monday. It also serves as extra time for other pieces of legislation to continue being negotiated.
England also said he had received word that Republican Gov. Tate Reeves would veto the bill. Reeves social media page had several times called out England for his early voting bill, characterizing the effort as a “Democratic priority.”
Several members of the Senate became upset with the back-and-forths between Reeves and England, calling on the governor to act with more civility and respect toward the Senate.
“Instead of having to read a veto message, I would rather just put something together that I know would have a better chance of becoming law (next year),” England said.
Reeves later told the Clarion Ledger his opposition came from his own views on early voting and national GOP positions on the topic.
“I believe in voting on Election Day,” Reeves said. “… I was in the White House just two weeks ago when President Trump endorsed ‘same-day voting’ and ‘one-day voting’ and encouraged governors to pass laws to stop the ridiculous practice of allowing voting for weeks and weeks that leads to outcomes being delayed for weeks after Election Day. Legislators should be focused on conservative priorities — like eliminating our income tax — not trying to tackle items on the Mississippi Democratic Party’s wish list. I’ll keep pushing back on dumb ideas and look forward to working with legislators on the issues conservative voters that elected us actually care about.”
One of the provisions of the bill, a section that would prohibit the counting of mail-in absentee ballots received after election day for state and local elections, also died with the bill. The state recently lost an appeal in a lawsuit filed by the GOP that successfully challenged the state’s law on counting mail-in absentee ballots received after election day for five days. It is unclear if the case will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The law pertaining to state and local elections will now remain in place for at least another year, as will the state’s 45-day in person “excused” absentee voting program.
The bill’s death also leaves Mississippi as one of only a few states without a true early voting program. During the summer of 2024, the Senate Elections Committee heard testimony from experts saying that early voting was utilized by both Republicans and Democrats in droves, but rural populations would be able to take advantage more so than others.
Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature and state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
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