On Aug. 15, The Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee gave an update about a special election for primary irregularities in Precinct 51 on Aug. 6.
The organization has released a press release on Aug. 13, saying that after reviewing the election results for Precinct 51, the committee discovered that 398 voters had filled out the wrong ballot because the precinct is split between different legislative districts.
The committee, with help from the Hinds County circuit clerk and the secretary of state’s office, inspected poll books and ballots and determined that 90 voters, not the original 398 HCDEC reported, who live in the House District 70 received incorrect ballots. .
“It has been determined that two legislative races were flipped on the printed ballots and given different ballot codes, which are used by the Statewide Elections Management System (SEMS) to differentiate voters in precincts that are split between multiple legislative districts,” the release said.
The organization notified the two candidates running in House District 70 of the irregularities and they have agreed to move forward to the runoff election on Aug. 27 instead of holding a re-vote. The special election would not change the outcome of the primary election, the release said.
“The Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee is committed to safeguarding the vote of every citizen of this county,” said Jacqueline Amos, committee chair. “We will work with all parties involved in the printing of our Election Day ballots to ensure that this kind of mistake is prevented in the future.”
Follow Jackson Free Press reporting intern Aliyah Veal on Twitter @AliyahJFP. Send tips to aliyah@jacksonfreepress.com.
