Barbour working to bust voter fraud

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's been championing a proposal requiring Mississippians to show ID when they vote. The goal is simple: cut back on voter fraud.

The bill passed 38-12 on Thursday, only it included an exemption for voters over 65 years-old. Democrats argued the identification requirement could be used to intimidate black seniors, who grew up under the specter of Jim Crow.

Barbour opposes the exemption -- and used his State of the State to claim there's no evidence that black seniors have faced recent intimidation.

If the measure doesn't go 100% of the way toward cleaning up voting, it at least travels a good bit toward that end. It's always a little disorienting when McDonalds requires more id for a happy meal than the state does to vote.