fbpx
Home - Breaking News, Events, Things-To-Do, Dining, Nightlife

HPNM

Secretary of state says Mississippians can have faith in election process

With just over two weeks until Election Day, Mississippians are gearing up to cast their ballots for several statewide elections and a contentious presidential election. Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson wants voters to know the election process is safe in the Magnolia State.  

Although government, court, and other third-party research shows that voter fraud is extremely rare, a nationwide NPR poll says 6 in 10 Americans are concerned about interference that could influence the upcoming election. Watson vouches that his office, along with the state legislature, has added every possible safeguard to protect election integrity. 

“I hate when people say, ‘You’re just trying to make it hard on people to vote.’ No, we aren’t,” Watson said during an appearance on MidDays with Gerard Gibert. “We’re trying to follow the law and make sure there’s integrity in the process. That’s what we’re doing.” 

Among those safeguards include a dual-verification process, the first step of which is called DPS Verify, for voter registration and partnerships with five other southeastern states to compare and verify voter rolls. Additionally, the legislature banned ballot harvesting in the state, which is the gathering and submitting of absentee or mail-in ballots by third-party individuals. 

“One of the things that I’ve tried to tell Mississippians is, ‘You can rest assured that we have a great process here,’” Watson continued. “There won’t be questions. And thank the Lord, a lot of people kind of laugh at this, that we aren’t one of those that will be in the crosshairs on election night.” 

Watson, who will also aid other secretaries of state on election night as the incoming president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, encouraged voters to hold their local election officials accountable. One way to do that, according to Watson, is to check voter roll numbers on the secretary of state office’s website – data which is updated monthly. 

“I’m really comfortable with where we are,” Watson said. “I think we’ve done a great job and appreciate the legislature’s

Read original article by clicking here.

Local Dining Stream

Things To Do

Related articles