Watson: No statewide issues, some miscommunication in primaries

JACKSON, Miss. (WTOK) - Secretary of State Michael Watson said no statewide issues were reported to his office during the June 7 primary elections but he did receive a handful of reports about precincts opening late due to miscommunication among election officials.

Watson said call volume to the state’s Election Hotline remained steady throughout the day, with most calls relating to voter registration status or polling place locations. But the secretary said the cybersecurity team detected no abnormal activity on its websites or the Statewide Election Management System (SEMS).

As of Wednesday, SEMS reported a total of 9,546 absentee ballots requested and 8,362 absentee ballots received for the June 7th Primary Election. Circuit Clerk Offices must be in receipt of all mail-in absentee ballots by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14. Absentee ballots returned by mail must have been postmarked on or before Election Day in order to count.

Any voter who cast an affidavit ballot June 7 because the voter did not have an acceptable form of photo ID must visit their local Circuit Clerk’s Office by Tuesday, June 14, to show an acceptable form of photo identification. Voters can receive a free Mississippi Voter ID card by filling out an application at their local Circuit Clerk’s Office.

State Democrat and Republican executive committees have until June 17 to send certified results to the secretary of state’s office. Certified results will then be posted on the Elections Results tab of our website. Should certified election results prompt a runoff election, the date of the Primary Runoff Election will be Tuesday, June 28.

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