Mississippi absentee ballot law harms voters with disabilities, lawsuit says

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A lawsuit is seeking to block Mississippi’s new restrictions on absentee ballots. The suit was filed Wednesday. It argues that a law taking effect July 1 could disenfranchise voters who have disabilities by preventing them from receiving help from people they trust. The law sets a short list of people who can “collect and transmit” an absentee ballot. The list includes mail carriers and any “family member, household member or caregiver” of the person receiving an absentee ballot. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said when he signed the law that it will ban political operatives from collecting and handling large numbers of ballots.