Electronic pollbooks introduced for Tuesday’s primaries
With many races coming up in Tuesday’s primaries, Marion County has switched to electronic pollbooks with hopes of making the voting process quicker and easier.
Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan said there have been frustrations in the past because people would come to the polls and one party’s side would be empty while the other line extended out the door.
Now a Democrat and a Republican representative will still be sitting side by side at the poll table, but you will no longer have to look for the Republican side or Democrat side, Nolan said. Both can issue ballots from either party using the electronic pollbooks.
“The person will only have to say which ballot they want,” she said.
Another change is a sign will be on the table with a blue “D” for Democrat and a red “R” for Republican for those who prefer not to verbally announce which ballot they prefer.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday for the primary elections. Runoffs will be held on Aug. 27 if needed.
Voters in Mississippi are not registered with any party but must choose at the polls on Election Day which primary to participate in. There are no contested local races in the Democratic primary in Marion County and few statewide beyond governor, while the Republican ballot has contested races throughout.
There’s an open race for governor between Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, former Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. and state Rep. Robert Foster as well as contested races for open seats for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state treasurer.
On the county level, the pending retirements of longtime Chancery Clerk Cass Barnes, Coroner Norma Williamson and District 1 Justice Court Judge Sharon Whitfield have drawn a host of candidates seeking to replace them. Three of the five county supervisor races are also contested along with sheriff and District 1 constable.
For a full sample ballot, see page 8A.
Preparing the electronic pollbooks took extra time, but Nolan said it not only will cut time for voters but also when the voter data has to be uploaded to show the person voted, a file can be downloaded so that there does not have to be someone to manually go through each pollbook.
“It’s a time saver on the back end and more accurate,” Nolan said.
Nolan also wanted to remind everyone that you need to vote where you reside. If you have moved you need to call the circuit clerk’s office and vote by affidavit ballot so your vote will be in the correct district.
The night of the election all the machine votes and absentee ballots will be counted. Affidavit ballots cannot be counted until five days after the election to allow for the affidavits to be verified.
A website, circuitclerkmarioncountyms.com, will also be up and running on election night for results. They’ll also be posted Tuesday night at ColumbianProgress.com.
Pictured Above: Campaign signs sit this week at the corner of Sumrall Road and Walter Payton Drive. The Republican and Democratic primaries are coming up Tuesday. Most of the action in Marion County and state races is on the GOP side, where there are more than 60 candidates on the ballot. | Photo by Charlie Smith
