Starting with the seventh-grade junior high student government class representative and going all the way to Mr. Obama himself, every election winner has the “it” factor.

No matter what important political issue is at hand, no matter how well the candidate knows the job, all elections are — on varying levels — popularity contests.

When voters go to the polls, they like to go with a face in mind, a face that they think is cool.

For most of us, elections are about people, not words. And for that reason, those leading the charge to see the passage of a referendum in November’s Mississippi elections would be wise to create a face, a cool one.

The voter identification referendum is, at its heart, about faces. The question on the ballot will ask voters whether or not they want to require a picture ID at the polls.

The ID would ensure that the person is who they say they are. Voters dead for five years would no longer be able to cast a vote, nor would inmates — two common instances that we fear occurs under our current system.

The face of voter identification is easy to see — it’s every registered voter in Mississippi.

And when voters go to the polls in November, we hope they’ll realize just how cool their face is.