Mississippi Election Officials Made 71 Polling Place Changes Since 2020, MFP Finds

Native Mississippi election officers have made 71 modifications to polling locations in dozens of counties because the 2020 election, a Mississippi Free Press examination has discovered. The modifications embrace 48 precinct relocations, 15 closures and eight new precincts. 

Statewide, there are actually 1,762 precincts, representing a internet lower of 12 because the final federal election. Three counties have skilled a internet improve in whole voting precincts since 2020, with DeSoto, Lamar and Newton counties every gaining one precinct total. Seven counties now have one much less precinct, together with Coahoma, Holmes, Prentiss, Rankin, Simpson, Tunica and Yalobusha counties. Two counties now every have 4 fewer whole precincts; Neshoba County’s whole precincts decreased from 27 in 2020 to at this time, whereas Webster’s whole fell from 17 to 13.

Mississippi voters can see the precinct modifications we recognized with the desk under, which features a search choice. These updates are the start of Part 2 of the Mississippi Trusted Elections Mission that tracks and updates precinct modifications in searchable graphics, and experiences voting-related information.

Challenges Figuring out Modifications

The State of Mississippi doesn’t present an up-to-date, complete checklist or database of voting precincts to the general public. To determine modifications, the Mississippi Free Press made a public-records request for a PDF copy of a Statewide Elections Administration System database report displaying the secretary of state’s checklist of voting precincts as they had been in April 2022 and in contrast it to the same report from October 2020.

The reporters initially recognized greater than 50 modifications by evaluating the 2 SEMS experiences after first rigorously changing them into spreadsheets. Nonetheless, as a result of it’s as much as every of the state’s 82 counties to maintain their county precincts up-to-date in SEMS, not all had up to date their precincts within the database, and a few had made errors. 

The Mississippi Free Press made calls to circuit clerks and election commissioners in all 82 counties to confirm the modifications in addition to to uncover others that we couldn’t discover by checking SEMS alone. In a number of circumstances, election officers stated that what gave the impression to be modifications within the April 2022 SEMS report had been inaccurate entries and the precincts remained the identical as in November 2020.

As a consequence of congressional redistricting, some voters will arrive at acquainted polling locations for the June 7 celebration primaries with the modifications not obvious till they obtain their poll. In Jones County, voters in all 37 precincts previous to this yr had voted within the 4th Congressional District, which Republican incumbent Steven Palazzo presently represents.

Gail Welch, a Jones County election commissioner, instructed the Mississippi Free Press that voters in 4 Jones County precincts will now be within the third Congressional District, represented by Republican incumbent Michael Visitor. These precincts are the Sharon, Shady Grove, Matthews and Sandersville precincts.

Whereas voters in Jones County’s different precincts will be capable to select to vote in both a Democratic or Republican major, those that are actually in Visitor’s district will solely have the choice of voting within the Republican major this month as a result of Visitor has no Democratic opponents. Welch stated that the choice to separate Jones County between two congressional districts has added new complexities to getting ready for the June 7 primaries for native election officers. Congressional redistricting resulted in modifications for voters in different counties, too.

Whereas the Mississippi Free Press Trusted Elections Mission 2022 workforce made vital efforts to determine and confirm precinct modifications since 2020 (in addition to offering an entire checklist of all precincts for the June 2022 primaries), voters ought to nonetheless name their native circuit clerk to confirm their polling place earlier than heading out to vote. The Mississippi Secretary of State’s web site contains contact info for all native circuit clerks.

The Mississippi Secretary of State’s web site does present a device voters can use to lookup their polling place utilizing their tackle, however the device can generally show inaccurate as a result of it attracts from the SEMS database, which isn’t at all times appropriate or up-to-date. Throughout the 2020 election, Secretary of State Michael Watson urged voters to confirm polling locations with native election officers.

Primaries on June 7, 2022

The primaries happen on June 7, 2022. Registered voters can select to vote in both the Democratic or Republican primaries of their congressional districts. Secretary of State Michael Watson has urged voters to confirm their vote registration is energetic by checking on-line at this hyperlink.

After they arrive on the polls on June 7, voters should convey a suitable type of photograph identification, equivalent to a driver’s license, state-issued photograph ID, U.S. passport, authorities worker ID card, scholar ID from a state college or faculty, firearms license, tribal ID or a Mississippi Voter Identification Card. Data on how residents can acquire a free voter identification card from their native circuit clerk’s workplace is on the market right here.

Voters are eligible to solid a poll in the event that they registered a minimum of 30 days earlier than the first or by Might 9, 2022. Extra info on voting is obtainable on the Secretary of State’s FAQ part and Voter Data Information.

Editor’s Notice: The Black Voters Matter Fund supplied assist for the Mississippi Trusted Election Mission’s Part 2 precinct-change analysis.