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An estimated 1.2 million voters — or about 64 percent of active, registered voters in Mississippi — cast ballots in the November 8 General Election, according to certified recap reports from counties. More than 1.87 million Mississippians were registered to participate in the General Election.
About 99.9 percent of voters showed up to the polls with acceptable photo ID. While other states remain embroiled in litigation related to voter ID laws, Mississippi’s law has not been challenged.
Additionally, although the U.S. Department of Justice sent 500 federal monitors to 28 states, none were assigned to Mississippi.
“We worked hard to implement voter ID laws in such a way so as to address any disenfranchisement concerns while still protecting the integrity of elections,” Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said. “Having no federal monitors is an acknowledgement by the Justice Department of our progress. In the end, the credit for turning this page on Mississippi’s electoral history belongs to the voters. Each person who cast a ballot on November 8 should be proud of this accomplishment.”
On Election Day, the Secretary of State’s Office received about 1,500 calls from voters with questions or reporting minor problems at polling places. Most of the calls related to registration or polling place location. The Secretary of State’s Office plans to add a feature to Y’all Vote, the State’s online voter information center, allowing voters to look up their registration information online.
The Agency also received several calls related to affidavit ballots. By law, voters who cannot be located in a pollbook are permitted to cast an affidavit ballot. Poll workers generally encourage voters to cast a ballot in their specific precinct, though, to ensure their vote is counted.
“The election process is a human endeavor. In context, problems statewide were minimal. Regardless, we consider every vote precious and important, and we do everything possible to ensure every registered voter has the opportunity to make their selection for our elected leaders count,” Secretary Hosemann said.
The Secretary of State’s Office will be emphasizing again affidavit ballot rights in upcoming training sessions with Election Commissioners, who run elections in Mississippi. The Agency will also encourage Election Commissioners to emphasize affidavit ballot rights when training poll workers.
Additionally, the Agency will place a greater emphasis on the Polling Place Locator, which allows voters to use a web site to locate their correct polling place.
Some voters will have an opportunity to revisit the polls on Tuesday, November 29, 2016 for Runoff Elections. Last week, the Secretary of State’s Office notified counties of runoff elections in:
· Supreme Court District 3-1 between candidates John Brady and Bobby Chamberlin;
· Court of Appeals District 3-1 between candidates Ed Hannan and Jack Wilson;
· State House District 106 (Pearl River/Lamar counties) between candidates John Corley and Greg Holcomb; and
· State House District 89 (Jones County) between candidates Donnie Scoggin and Ron Swindall.
