Whether a case of voter fraud or a side effect of poor voter turnout, state and local election officials are concerned about the number of absentee ballots cast in Columbus during the city”s May 5 primary elections.
Columbus” May 5 Democratic primary saw the second-most number of absentee ballots cast in a municipal primary across the state when local election officials reported 319, or 32 percent, of the 995 total Democratic votes cast were absentee.
In the city”s Republican primary, about 2 percent of the 1,130 total votes were absentee.
Only Macon”s primary election saw a higher percentage than the Columbus Democratic primary, according to Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.
“We continue to have complaints regarding absentee ballot fraud in the state,” Hosemann wrote in a previous statement issued last month.
“For example, in the city of Macon, there were 1,384 votes cast in the primary election,” Hosemann added. “Of those 1,384 votes, 582 were by absentee ballot. That is 42 percent of the total vote. This is yet another reminder of why absentee ballot reforms are much-needed in Mississippi.”
Columbus and Macon were the only two cities in the state to post absentee numbers more than 30 percent, and were two of 12 cities with more than 10 percent.
Elsewhere in the Golden Triangle, the Starkville Republican primary saw nearly 27 percent absentee and the Starkville Democratic primary posted nearly 7 percent. The West Point Democratic primary saw about 19 percent absentee.
“These results indicate a wide disparity in the use of absentee ballots in elections around the state,” Hosemann wrote in a Monday press release. “The cause of the disparity could be the result of a lack of voter information, lack of motivation of the voter by the candidates themselves or voter irregularities.”
Although Hosemann implied possible voter fraud, the number of absentee ballots in Columbus has not changed much from previous elections, according to Columbus Election Commissioner Leon Speck.
“The voter turnout was so low last month that it made those absentee ballots a much bigger percentage of the total votes this time,” Speck said. “The absentee numbers didn”t really change that much, but the total number of votes did.”
During the May 5 primary, Columbus saw a total of 2,125 voters — about 12 percent of the city”s 18,497 registered voters.
Hosemann seemed to share Speck”s thoughts on the low voter turnout numbers as he revealed about 24 percent of voters in the state”s major cities voted in the primary election.
“I am very disappointed in the low number of Mississippians who cast their ballot in the municipal primary,” Hosemann wrote in a release. “Voting is your most important right and many people are risking their lives today so you can have the privilege of choosing your representation.
“The results below show less than one in four eligible voters actually cast their ballot in the municipal primary,” Hosemann added. “We hope to see a considerable amount more in Tuesday”s municipal general.”
Although Speck linked the high absentee numbers to the low voter turnout, the U.S. Department of Justice today is sending election observers to polling places in Como, Drew, Greenwood, Isola, Louise and Meridian in an attempt to cut down on possible voter irregularities and ensure fairness to all voters, according to a DOJ report.
According to state law, absentee voting by proxy must be performed in person at a city”s municipal clerk office during normal voting hours.
Absentee ballots may be mailed in by someone who is temporarily out of the country, physically disabled, age 65 or older or by the “parent, spouse or dependent of someone who is permanently disabled who is hospitalized outside of their county of residence or more than 50 miles outside their home on election day,” according to Hosemann.
Before mailing in an absentee ballot, voters must sign a document stating they have met the necessary conditions, said Columbus City Registrar Brenda Willis.
“Everyone who requests one (absentee ballot) has to sign the form stating they have met the conditions,” said Willis. “I believe the penalty for providing false information is a $5,000 fine or five years in jail.”
“They must follow the letter of the law when they vote absentee,” Speck added.
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