BILOXI - On his commercials, Delbert Hosemann is quick to poke fun at his name as he runs for secretary of state. But voter fraud is no laughing matter, and he's leading his platform on bringing more accountability to the polls.

 

Tired of hearing stories of folks selling absentee ballots, the 60-year-old Jackson business and tax attorney told the Sun Herald Wednesday he plans to make voter identification a reality to help stop election fraud.

 

The Republican will lead a fight to pass a constitutional voter ID program, which will ensure that only citizens are allowed to vote, he said. He wants to create a poll worker-training program so only "certified" poll workers are hired.

 

The real estate developer also plans to release all leases of 16th Section lands - trust land designated for public schools - on the Internet in the first 90 days of his administration. This will give the public access to "who's got them, how much they are paying... and when the lease is coming due."

 

"We don't have an inventory of that," he said. "It is going to flush out a lot (of negligence)."

Hosemann, who earned a law degree from Ole Miss and a master's of law in taxation at New York University, describes small businesses as the "economic engine." He said his 35-year experience as a business attorney gives him "intimate" knowledge of the state's business laws, allowing him to fix antiquated codes and regulations to favor new economic growth and create more good-paying jobs.

 

Hosemann also wants to establish an "accelerated (court) system" to handle business litigation.

"When you have pending or threatened litigation, it affects your ability to borrow, buy new pieces of equipment, hire somebody, put in a health care plan."

 

The secretary of state also serves as caretaker of Coast tidelands. When he thinks of issues swirling around tidelands, his first thought is the future of his grandchildren.

 

"My goal, long-term goal, is to keep those tidelands in (a) sacred trust," he said.

 

 

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