Study: Mississippi Election System Ranks Near Bottom Nationally

(Hernando, MS) As investigators from Nashville look into voting irregularities in Tennessee, a recent report cites potential problems in Mississippi.

But election supervisors are crying foul at the report they say unfairly paints them as having one of the worst run election systems in the country.

A report from the Rutgers University Law School, among others, ranks Mississippi among the bottom in the nation in the way it runs its elections.

Local clerks call the reports findings unfair.

”I disagree with that because I know DeSoto County has never had any problems that I’m aware of, the problems they’re saying we have” said DeSoto Circuit Clerk Dale Thompson.

She says clerks around the state are angry about the report and work long hours to keep elections honest.

She believes the problems in the report can be traced back to the presidential election in 2000, which prompted a nationwide change in voting machines.

Counties around the nation switched out old punch card machines for new touch screen ballots, at Federal government expense.

Thompson told us DeSoto and a handful of other Mississippi Counties opted for paper ballots and optical scanners, which she calls nearly foolproof.

But, she says many places are stuck with machines that aren’t as good, ”A lot of our counties would like to switch back,but the cost of it is not effective for them. Especially the smaller counties.”

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hoseman called the Mississippi’s voting process very secure and points out Mississippi is one of 15 states singled out for helping military voters and keeping their votes safe and secure.

The entire Rutgers report can be found HERE