Today is election day and state officials say the state is ready to handle any challenges that may arise. Michael Watson is Secretary of State.
“I give a lot of credit to our clerks and commissioners,” he said. “The preparation that goes into elections behind the scenes that people aren’t aware of is extensive.”
Shamira Muhammad
What Mississippians need to know as they head to the polls
Election security
In 2022 during midterm elections, some state websites were hit by cybersecurity attacks from outside actors.
“That gave us the ability, number one, to see that our systems were prepared and we handled it,” Watson said. “Number two, the opportunity to harden our systems even more, to make sure that we're prepared going into this election. So the cyber security side has been very strong.”
Watson says his office has been working with other similar offices around the country to strengthen its election security.
“In Georgia, we recently had an issue with some foreign actors trying to sow discord in our elections,” he said. “So all of us are prepared, eyes wide open going into tomorrow.”
How to find polling places
Watson encourages voters to find their voting precinct by going to the election tool, “My Election Day.” Voters can enter their address to locate their correct voting precinct.
“I encourage folks to take the time to educate themselves on the candidates tomorrow, depending on where you live,” Watson said. “You may have different races on your ballot, so just be prepared for that.”
Mississippi Voter ID
Mississippi requires that voters have IDs in order to vote. Watson says there are ten categories of acceptable IDs voters can present to their precinct:
Affidavit Ballot
Watson says there are still ways to vote if a voter does not have an ID.
“If you don't have your I.D. when you go vote, you can vote by affidavit ballot,” he said. “So long as you come back in within five days and show your ID, that ballot will be counted.”
‘Spoil the Ballot’
If a voter were to accidentally mess up their ballot, Watson says poll workers can help.
“So what they would do is what's called “spoil the ballot,” he said. “So that ballot was messed up. They will spoil it. They will account for it to make sure that at the end of the day, you know how many ballots went out, [and] how many ballots came in. What's the list of what was spoiled, what’s the list of what was accepted. They basically just kind of start the process over once they spoil that ballot.”
Voting Machines
Mississippi will have enough paper ballots for every voter. They will also have ADA compliant machines for voters with disabilities.
“Typically, you're going to see what's called an ExpressVote that's going to be in most of the counties, and it is still a touch screen,” Watson said. “So I encourage folks to take the time as they read through that if they’re using it. The process is this, they will walk through that ballot on the machine itself. They will punch the screen. And I encourage people, you know, [to] take your time.”
Curbside Voting
Watson says voters who may be sick, disabled or unable to get into the building or stand in line can request curbside voting.
“You can get up to the precinct there and try to get somebody to go in and tell the poll workers to come out,” he said. “[Or] you can call your circuit clerk's office and try to give them a heads up for the poll workers that you're going to.”
Fifth Circuit Court Ruling
The fifth circuit court of appeal recently ruled Mississippi’s law allowing mail-in absentee ballots to be postmarked by election day but to arrive within five business days after the election is illegal under federal law. Watson says this ruling will not affect this year’s election.
“It will count,” Watson said. “So nothing's changed. That will be something that goes into place after this election.”
Polls open at 7 am and close at 7 pm.
Sample Ballot
