( SuperTalk) - With just over two weeks until Election Day, Mississippians are gearing up to cast their ballots for several statewide elections and a contentious presidential election. Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson wants voters to know the election process is safe in the Magnolia State.  

Although government, court, and other third-party research shows that voter fraud is extremely rare, a nationwide NPR  poll says 6 in 10 Americans are concerned about interference that could influence the upcoming election. Watson vouches that his office, along with the state legislature, has added every possible safeguard to protect election integrity.

“I hate when people say, ‘You’re just trying to make it hard on people to vote.’ No, we aren’t,” Watson said during an appearance on MidDays with Gerard Gibert . “We’re trying to follow the law and make sure there’s integrity in the process. That’s what we’re doing.”

Among those safeguards include a dual-verification process, the first step of which is called DPS Verify , for voter registration and partnerships with five other southeastern states to compare and verify voter rolls. Additionally, the legislature banned ballot harvesting in the state, which is the gathering and submitting of absentee or mail-in ballots by third-party individuals.

“One of the things that I’ve tried to tell Mississippians is, ‘You can rest assured that we have a great process here,'” Watson continued. “There won’t be questions. And thank the Lord, a lot of people kind of laugh at this, that we aren’t one of those that will be in the crosshairs on election night.”

Watson, who will also aid other secretaries of state on election night as the incoming president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, encouraged voters to hold their local election officials accountable. One way to do that, according to Watson, is to check voter roll numbers on the secretary of state office’s website  – data which is updated monthly.

“I’m really comfortable with where we are,” Watson said. “I think we’ve done a great job and appreciate the legislature’s help.”

Other state officials, such as leaders from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, are also making citizens aware that they will emphasize both voter safety and election legitimacy on and after November 5.  

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” U.S. Attorney Todd Gee said. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

Gee noted in a press release that Mississippians should be vigilant in reporting potential fraud or voting rights concerns, which can be done by contacting Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bert Carraway and Samuel Goff at 601-973-2826 or 601-973-2855 on Election Day. The FBI will also have special agents available in local field offices throughout the country to receive allegations of fraud and other election abuses.  

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in every field office throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The Mississippi FBI field office, located in Jackson, can be reached by the public at 601-948-5000.

Magnolia Tribune– With less than three weeks until the presidential election, the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office along with local elected election commissioners and circuit clerks are working to reassure voters who may be concerned with election security and the validity of their vote in the Magnolia State.

Lawmakers passed the Mississippi Voting Modernization Act in the 2022 legislative session, providing grant funding for counties to replace touchscreen voting machines with approved machines that scan paper ballots. The goal, as stated at the time, was to ensure the security of the voting process utilizing paper ballots, therefore leaving a paper trail. Previous touchscreen machines did not always provide a paper record of the vote.

Now, after they present valid identification and sign the voter roll, Mississippi voters are handed a paper ballot that is to be marked with a pen before placing it in a scanning machine. The scanned ballot is then shown on the screen for verification by the voter before the paper ballot is placed inside a secure portion of the machine for auditing purposes.

Secretary of State Michael Watson told Magnolia Tribune that under the modernization act, counties were provided a list of three approved vendors to purchase voting equipment. Before grant funding was approved, each county had to submit documentation for review to ensure the equipment met the necessary requirements.

The deadline to purchase and put the new machines into use was January 1, 2024, meaning voters who cast a ballot in a Primary Election this year would have already seen the new machines in use.

Several regulations were put in place concerning the type of machines counties could purchase in an effort to prevent hacking. For instance, machines that have “wireless remote connections” are prohibited. In addition, the use of pre-scored punch cards is not allowed.

“A machine could not have a modem or some other device installed that allowed access to the Internet,” Watson clarified.

Secretary Watson said approved machines have built-in security measures that prevent tampering, such as attempts to sideload malicious software via a USB thumb drive.

“It would be incredibly difficult for a person to tamper with any voting machines. There are multiple layers of security, testing, and protections that cannot be discussed for security reasons,” Watson said.

Local election controls

On the local level, each county elects their own set of election commissioners to oversee each election. Some of their duties include training poll workers and conducting regular accuracy tests on the voting machines prior to Election Day.

The Secretary of State’s Office provides election commissioners with annual certification training to ensure they are complying with the various requirements under Mississippi election laws.

“In addition to this annual training, the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office provides summer workshop trainings and weekly conference calls in the lead up to the election,” Watson explained.

Secretary Watson said he has full confidence in those on the local level to ensure elections are conducted securely.

“Our circuit clerks and election commissioners are the unsung heroes when it comes to elections in Mississippi, and the post-elections audits provides a vehicle for praising their successes,” Watson added.

Auditing election results

Another layer of security came with the passage of HB 1310 during the 2023 legislative session. The law provides the Secretary of State’s office with the ability to audit election results and procedures.

Secretary Watson said the law gives his office another means to ensure elections are being held according to state law by holding election officials on the local level to an increased level of accountability as implemented by the Secretary of State.

“Any missteps will turn into opportunities for an additional level of training and dialogue on the results,” Watson said.

In the digital age, there is a need to ensure other aspects of the voting process are also secure. As such, Watson’s office has invested in cybersecurity systems and training. By working with the Legislature, Election Support Funds were made available to counties for cybersecurity improvements.

“Our office is always looking at what other states are doing and brainstorming amongst ourselves to further ensure the integrity and security of our elections,” Watson said. “That said, we have been extremely aggressive over the last four and a half years making as many improvements as possible. I couldn’t be more proud of our team and am thankful the Legislature has passed most of our election integrity legislation.”

Changes on the horizon?

During the 2024 legislative session, discussions on allowing in-person early voting and first-time online voter registration were hot topics. Those debates have continued in recent hearings.

Early voting was proposed by State Senator Jeremy England (R). Under his bill, early voting would have been allowed for 15 days prior to an Election Day, excluding Sundays and ending the Saturday before the scheduled election. The measure would have eliminated in-person absentee voting, but mail-in absentee voting would still have been accessible.

Currently in Mississippi, voters can vote 6 weeks prior to Election Day. This election year, that meant as early as September 23.

READ MORE: Lawmakers hold joint hearing on early voting, online voter registration

As a security measure, Senator England’s bill would have required the voter to show a valid ID to participate in early voting, the same requirement currently used for absentee voting and voting at the polls on Election Day.

Secretary Watson said his office supports closing the current window absentee voting provides.

“We are advocating for the tightening of the absentee window to 30 days and the reduction of absentee options if early voting is implemented,” Watson told Magnolia Tribune. “We are always looking at opportunities to make the process better and even more secure.”

First-time online voter registration would allow a person who is currently not registered to do so online, negating the need to do so in person at their local circuit clerk’s office. During a recent hearing on the proposed changes, lawmakers were told that if implemented, first-time online registration could provide cost savings in reduced paper expense and lead to a reduction in data entry errors.

Due to the proliferation of the internet and smartphones, offering first-time online voter registration was also touted as a vehicle to entice more young adults to register.

To Secretary Watson, any impact the implementation of early voting and/or first-time online voter registration would have on the security of the election process in Mississippi would be down to the policies implemented by the Legislature and signed off on by the Governor.

“While we have seen proposals for how it would work in Mississippi, until a process has been put into law, we cannot speculate as to what kind of effect it could have on election security in Mississippi,” Watson added.

He reminds Mississippi’s voters that while first-time online registration is not currently available, those who have registered in-person at their local circuit clerk’s office can update their information by way of his office’s website.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Chances are you aren’t trying to read the fine print at the end of political ads. And you may even just assume they’re all from the candidate’s campaigns.

But, a lot of those are from political action committees. Now, there are questions about how to ensure they’re held accountable.

Secretary of State Michael Watson sounded the alarm about campaign finance at Wednesday’s Grip-N-Grin event.

“I want you to understand something,” said Watson. “49 PACs did not file yesterday that have spent money in Mississippi. That’s important to make sure that you understand who’s spending money, and who’s saying what, understanding where that money is coming from, and why that’s playing in Mississippi.”

As of 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, there were still 38 outstanding reports from PACs according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Mississippi College political science professor Dr. Glenn Antizzo notes that donations to political action committees ( read more at WLBT.com).

NESHOBA COUNTY FAIR — Incumbent Republican Secretary of State Michael Watson on Thursday vowed to reform Mississippi’s lax campaign finance and lobbying reporting and nearly nonexistent enforcement of laws if reelected.

He also vowed in his Neshoba County Fair speech to do away with politicians’ “legacy” campaign finance accounts — money still held in accounts under pre-2018 rules that allowed politicians to spend campaign money however they want and pocket the money when they leave office.

Watson’s Democratic opponent, Shuwaski Young, on Thursday at the fair also called for campaign finance reform, as did incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann on Wednesday.

This statewide election cycle has seen several claims of campaign finance law or reporting requirement violations. It has also shown what appears to be a reluctance by ( continue reading on Mississippi Today)

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The members of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) have selected the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office as the 2023 IDEAS (Innovation, Dedication, Excellence and Achievement in Service) Award recipient.

Launched in July 2020, Mississippi’s Tackle the Tape  initiative seeks to cut complicated government “red tape” rules and regulations, which may prolong business processes, especially for small businesses. By doing so, the program seeks to increase economic opportunities for individuals across Mississippi by encouraging innovation and job growth. The office worked in partnership with the Occupational Licensing Review Commission, other state agencies, small businesses, and industry leaders across Mississippi.

“I’m extremely honored to have been selected as the 2023 NASS IDEAS Award winner. To be chosen among the other outstanding innovative initiatives speaks to the power of Tackle The Tape and the regulatory reform happening in Mississippi. I’m grateful to my colleagues for this recognition and look forward to continuing to use this initiative to promote business development and prosperity for all Mississippians,” said Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson.

“I was proud to present my colleague and friend, Secretary Watson, with this year’s IDEAS Award, which showcases the best programs states have to offer,” said NASS President and Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab.

The award was presented to Watson by Schwab on Tuesday, July 11, during the NASS 2023 Summer Conference in Washington, D.C. Secretary of State Offices in Iowa  and Minnesota  were also recognized for their finalist submissions.