MS Municipal Primaries: first day to vote by absentee ballot
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – is the first day to vote by absentee ballot in Mississippi’s municipal primaries.
And a Columbus Mayoral candidate is sending out a warning about ballot harvesting.
In previous elections, individuals would often pick up mail-in absentee ballots for several people and deliver them, then witness them for the voter, and return them.
The process lent itself to potential vote tampering or even voter intimidation.
Now voters must request an application for a mail-in ballot from the Municipal Clerk, when they receive the application, they must then fill it out and have it notarized, and mail it back in.
The clerk will mail the official ballot to the voter. The voter will make their choices, put the ballot in the envelope, and seal it. They must also complete the voter’s affidavit on the back of the envelope and it must be witnessed as required by law.
Columbus Mayoral candidate Leroy Brooks said who can handle and witness ballots is a major concern.
“The law defines those people that are authorized to put people’s ballots in the mail and mail them in. If you’re a candidate, you can’t use a family member to notarize or sign off on absentee ballots. We’ve had a lot of this going on, so I’m very concerned and want to alert the public that if people come to your house to try and force you to vote an absentee ballot in a way that you don’t want to, just call 911. Don’t get in an argument, just call 911. They’ll send someone out because that’s not the way you do it,” said Brooks.
Municipal party primaries are Tuesday, April 1.
