The function of the electoral college was performed today as electoral voters casted their ballots in representation of all 50 states, including Mississippi. The state has six electoral voters that represent the two U.S. Senate seats and four Congressional seats.
This year’s electors included: Frank Bordeaux, Franc Lee, John Dane III, Terry Reeves, Bruce Martin, and Johnny McRight.
For Mississippi it was a “winner take all” day. The majority of Mississippians voted for President Donald Trump and Vice Pence Mike Pence to remain in office.
There were 113,000 new voters in Mississippi who cast a ballot in the General Election. Overall 1.3 million Mississippians voted this year, which is 400,000 more than the 2016 election and the largest turnout ever.
While the Legislature did make some changes to how people can vote, ballots were still primarily cast in-person on election day or in-person at the circuit clerks offices through absentee voting.
“In 2020 and obviously the changes that many of you have brought up, I think it’s a testament to Secretary Watson and his team and the entire efforts of people across Mississippi to get out and vote and run a safe, fair and secure election whose results we can trust,” said Governor Tate Reeves.
Both Secretary Michael Watson and Governor Reeves commended the state on maintaining current voting laws, which do not allow for mail-in voting across the board or no excuse absentee voting. While Reeves said he was open to any discussions on voting law changes, he does not personally believe in mail-in voting because he believes in the institution of election day.
Secretary Watson said he is a big defender of the Electoral College and the protection it provides for smaller states’ voices to be heard in national elections.
“It’s not everyday you get to sit in on something like this that the founding fathers designed. Work through the constitution, work through the process with Mississippians around the state, so it was a good day,” said Watson.
Governor Reeves also defended Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s decision to join the Texas lawsuit challenging the validity of some of the votes in other states. The suit was ultimately thrown out by the Supreme Court.
“I would support any court throwing out any illegally cast ballot in America. I don’t care if it’s one, ten or ten million. If the ballots were not cast legally, I would support them not being counted,” said Reeves.
During the meeting, all six electors signed the Certificate of Vote, which certifies Mississippi’s electoral votes for the 2020 General Election. The Certificate of Vote, along with the Certificate of Ascertainment completed by Governor Reeves, will be sent to the following:
- Mike Pence, President of the United States Senate
- Chief District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, Southern District of Mississippi
- David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States
- Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office
Certified results from the 2020 Election Cycle are available on the Election Results page on the Secretary of State’s website.
Sarah Ulmer
