It is very hard to vote by mail in some states, especially in the South. In Mississippi, you have to have an excuse for requesting an absentee ballot, your reason has to be accepted by a state official, and you have to make your request at least 30 before the election. Mississippi also has an unusual 2-tier voting system. It was put in the state Constitution in 1890 for the purpose of preventing African-Americans from getting elected to statewide office. The stated purpose of the 2-tier voting system was: “to secure to the State of Mississippi White Supremacy.” It seems hard to believe that laws like this are still the law in the South. Here in California, voting by mail is easy, and this year it will be even easier. In May, Governor Newsom ordered that every registered voter in California be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot prior to the November election. If you haven’t already registered to vote for the November election, you can do so by mail or phone. Just go to the website of the California Secretary of State.

How Medieval Is Mississippi? Last year, 1 in 14 students in Mississippi public schools was subjected to corporal punishment. Corporal punishment offenses include: failing to turn in homework, failing to tuck in your shirt, and laughing in a hallway. In 2019, the Mississippi state legislature passed a new law prohibiting teachers from beating physically disabled students. Think about that – until last year, schoolteachers in Mississippi were allowed to beat disabled children! Mississippi’s laws and ‘traditions’ have not enriched the people of the state or improved their lives. Mississippi is the poorest state in the U.S. Per capita income is $20,000 a year, about half the per capita income of California. Mississippi also has the lowest life expectancy of any state. Average life expectancy in Mississippi is 75. In California, it is 82. This difference is largely due to obesity and tobacco use. Mississippi has the second highest obesity rate in the U.S., 37% of the population. Cigarette taxes in Mississippi are among the lowest in the U.S., and smoking is permitted by state law nearly everywhere, including bars, restaurants, stores, day care centers, and doctor’s offices.