Legislation has been introduced inside the Mississippi state capitol to ensure voters are not hoodwinked on Election Day.
Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, introduced House Bill 1419 this week. The bill serves to prevent polling precincts statewide from being altered within 60 days of a primary, general, runoff, or special election. This comes after more than 50 voting locations were changed across Mississippi’s 82 counties ahead of last November’s general election, per a report from the Mississippi Free Press.
While the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office offers its My Election Day tool for prospective ballot casters to know where to go on election day, the state agency is reliant on members of local offices to provide updated precinct information. This authorizes state officials to make the statewide election management system as accurate as possible.
However, there is currently no deadline for a voting center to be relocated, thus stymying the accuracy of the poll-finding tool. To address this, Summers’ legislation would set a hard limit, prohibiting an alteration within roughly two months of an election.
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One exception to HB 1419 is that a polling location can be changed in that 60-day window if exigent circumstances exist. In that event, the local municipality or county would be required by law to justify its decision, citing specific reasons for the swap in venue.
Afterward, public notice of the precinct relocation would have to be submitted at the local city hall, courthouse, registrar’s office, and the previous polling location for three weeks or weekly for the last three weeks before the election.
The bill currently sits in the House Apportionment and Elections Committee. If approved as-is, the new rules would go into effect on July 1.
