***Update: Hattiesburg Mayoral Special Election***
Jackson, MS—With several more hours of voting remaining, the Secretary of State’s office has received information regarding the following Election Day issues:
• Only one of the fourteen (14) precincts was provided with a master voter roll list (which includes precinct designation) by the Municipal Election Commission. Therefore, if a voter was not on the precinct poll book, poll workers could not verify their correct voting precinct without contacting the Municipal Clerk’s Office. Master voter roll lists with precincts have been printed by the Municipal Election Commission and were delivered to each precinct this morning.
• Highland Park Precinct: The votes of several students were questioned, based on inquiries regarding residency. The Attorney General and Secretary of State’s Office advised that students properly registered to vote in the Hattiesburg Mayoral Election should be allowed to cast a ballot. To our knowledge, all students whose residency was questioned by a poll watcher were able to cast a ballot.
• Unruly poll watchers: The Secretary of State’s Office received complaints regarding the conduct of poll watchers in precincts. Our Agency has advised the Municipal Election Commissioners that any unruly poll watcher should be instructed to leave by the bailiff of the precinct.
“We are seeing above-average turnout in this election, which could exceed the number of votes cast in the first mayoral election,” says Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. “There is still plenty of time to cast a ballot. We encourage all qualified voters to head to the polls by 7:00pm. Anyone who is standing in line by 7:00pm tonight will be able to cast a ballot in this election.”
SOS Delbert Hosemann Press Release
9/24/13
Magnolia Tribune
