Tough hurdles remain in the nation’s capital, but Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is confident Mississippi voters soon will be required to show a photo identification before casting a ballot.

“We will have voter ID in Mississippi,” Hosemann told the Vicksburg Rotary Club Thursday.

Gov. Phil Bryant is expected to sign voter ID into law next week, and then the law must be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court.

In December, federal officials rejected a voter ID law from South Carolina and last month a similar law from Texas was rejected.

To avoid the legislation from suffering a similar fate, Hosemann said, he has spent the last two months meeting with the Justice Department to ensure that Mississippi’s law meets requirements.

Mississippi is one of seven states required to have any voting changes approved by the federal government because of past voter discrimination.

“Mississippi has a history of voter neglect,” Hosemann said.

Opponents of voter ID have argued that the measure is unconstitutional, but courts have upheld the requirements in Indiana and Arizona, Hosemann said.

“You’ll never see me discussing the constitutionality of voter ID. That ship has left the port. That train has left the station,” Hosemann said.

In order to implement voter ID, counties will need good election commissioners and poll workers, Hosemann said. The Secretary of State’s Office has increased election monitoring at polling sites across the state, but there is no way to be at every one on Election Day, Hosemann said.

The state is working toward streamlining the process of getting identification cards for voters without a driver’s license, Hosemann said. The current plan is to put cameras in every courthouse so that a photo identification can be made on the spot.

Hosemann said he also is pushing to get birth certificates available online at a low cost.

“I don’t want any small barrier to prevent anyone from being able to vote,” he said.

During his speech, Hosemann also touted a forthcoming law that will expedite the tax sale process for the state.

After property fails to sell at county tax sale for three years it is turned over the Secretary of State’s Office. The new law, which goes into effect July 1, will allow the Secretary of State to deduct costs for demolition from the asking price.

“This allows us to really accelerate the process,” Hosemann said.

In Warren County, the sate has about 240 properties with a total value of $793,000 for sale, he said.

“We’re hopeful that individuals in the neighborhoods will see the signs and purchase the properties,” he said.