Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann’s office reports “minimal problems” at Mississippi polling locations today.
“We are seeing minor problems and major turnout,” Hosemann said in a news release, which outlined the following issues that have been reported to his office so far on Election Day:
– At Millsaps Avenue precinct, poll managers were allegedly asking voters for party identification and directing voters to different machines. The local election commissioners are addressing the issue.
– At St. Phillips precinct, voting machines were not operating properly when polls opened, but paper ballots were available; as of mid-morning, the machines were functioning properly.
– In Madison County’s Parkway Pentecostal precinct, ballot styles were encoded improperly, prompting the election commissioners, circuit clerk’s office staff and machine technicians to address the issue. Also in Madison County, polls at First Baptist Church precinct did not open on time.
– Reports also came in to Hosemann’s office about lines at polls in Harrison County, which is using electronic poll books for the first time.
– In Washington County, one ballot style was not included on the county ballot in one precinct. Paper ballots are being used while the issue is being resolved.
Hosemann’s assessment of minor snafus and large turnout was mirrored at the Warren A. Hood Library in Belhaven where election judge Henry Michel reported that one of the four voting machines wasn’t working for about an hour before a technician arrived to replace it.
Michel, an election judge for 10 years, also reported surprisingly brisk turnout. By 10 a.m., about 200 of the precinct’s 1,200 registered voters had cast ballots, he said.
Several voters at the library said they were spurred by a sense of civic responsibility more than interest in an particular candidate or issue. They did not give their names.
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.
