A Hinds County Circuit Court judge today ordered a revised ballot that features a U.S. Senate race between Ronnie Musgrove and Roger Wicker near the top.
Judge Tomie Green ruled against a sample ballot distributed to election commissioners Thursday by Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. The ballot he sent features the contentious race near the bottom.
Attorneys for Barbour and Hosemann, both Republicans, are expected to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.
Musgrove, a Democrat, is running against Wicker, a Republican appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to fill a seat left vacant by Trent Lott.
Some worry that voters will overlook the race if it’s near the bottom of a lengthy ballot that also features another Senate race and other contests.
Attorneys for Barbour and Hosemann say that state law doesn’t specifically address ballot order for special elections such as the Wicker-Musgrove race.
But Green wrote that the law speaks “loudly about the special election placement on the ballot … (it) explicitly states that candidates for the U.S. Senate shall come first on the ballot, along with others who are seeking National Office.”
Clarion Ledger
9/12/8
Magnolia Tribune
