Mississippi’s key Democratic stronghold rejected most affidavit ballots

Key Points:

• Hinds County, Mississippi's second most populous and a Democratic stronghold, rejected about two-thirds (66%) of affidavit ballots cast in the recent midterm elections, accepting only 817 out of 2,426 ballots due to issues like improper registration and wrong precinct voting.
• The accepted affidavit ballots, which have yet to be counted, could impact the tight U.S. Senate race where Democrat Scott Colom currently leads incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by just over 3,000 votes.
• Hinds County's rejection rate is significantly higher than the statewide acceptance rate of approximately 76% for affidavit ballots, as reported by Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson.
• Mississippi's restrictive voting laws, including the absence of no-excuse mail voting, early voting, and same-day registration, contributed to tens of thousands having to use affidavit ballots after being marked as "inactive" voters due to changes in voter list maintenance.
• Election officials noted that some affidavit voters, especially students at Jackson State University and Tougaloo College, were not properly registered despite participating in voter registration drives, highlighting challenges with Mississippi's paper-based registration system requiring submission 30 days before elections.