JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Both the Mississippi House and Senate are advancing bills that would change the in-person absentee voting process, eliminating the envelope requirement and moving to a machine-based ballot system.

What the proposals would change

Under the proposed change, in-person absentee voters would show their ID and cast a ballot directly into a machine, the same process used on election day, rather than placing a ballot inside an envelope.

“We’re trying to do this year is just get rid of the envelope for the in-person absentee voters,” Sen. Jeremy England, R., chairman of the Senate Election Committee, said. “So you’ll go in, show your ID, and then actually cast a ballot that you put into a machine just like you do on election day.”

Faster vote counting on election night

Rep. Noah Sanford, R., House Apportionment and Elections chairman, said the change would also speed up the vote-counting process.

“It would also allow for those absentee ballots to be counted much, much, much faster on election night,” Sanford said. “So we no longer have people counting votes into the night or even waiting until the next day to count those votes. They would be counted first on election night.”

Secret ballot and security

England said the change would also strengthen ballot secrecy.

“It’s going to add that level of knowing that you’ve got a secret ballot,” England said. “You don’t have a ballot that you’re putting into an envelope that has your name in it. So you’re actually casting your secret ballot into a machine. It’ll feel just like voting on election day.”

Proposals don’t create early voting

The Senate version of the bill also seeks to expand the allowed reasons for casting early ballots, which could factor into negotiations between the two chambers.

Sanford said the House is not prepared to move toward full early voting at this time.

“The House at this point is not willing to go full on into early voting,” Sanford said. “But honestly, we’ve not had that conversation in detail. We know that the governor has made it clear that he’s opposed to that.”

England has proposed a version of early voting for the past two years and said he believes it is the direction the state should move.

“Mississippi and Mississippi voters are certainly ready for it,” England said. “And with other states doing it, it’s just adding to confusion on national election day when we turn on the national news, and you see people, hey, early voting started in such and such state.”

Neither proposal would affect voters who cast absentee ballots by mail.

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