Mississippi’s top election official posts, then deletes, incorrect information on ballot curing process he repealed
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Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson (R) posted information on Tuesday directing voters to use a mail ballot curing process that no longer exists — despite him being the one who got rid of it.
Watson deleted the post within 30 minutes, but his error emphasizes how confusing the state’s restrictive voting policies can be — even for voting officials.
“The ‘cure’ process only applies to voters whose mail-in absentee ballot application signature does not match the signature on the outside of the envelope,” Watson wrote. “Making sure these signatures match is an integral piece of election integrity when it comes to absentee by mail ballots.”
That information is incorrect. While Mississippi previously allowed voters to cure mail ballots with signature deficiencies, Watson quietly repealed the rule in August — as Democracy Docket reported Friday.
“There is no signature cure process for mail-in ballots,” a spokesperson for Watson’s office told Democracy Docket on Nov. 6.
The only voters who can cure their ballots are those who cast an affidavit ballot after failing to show photo identification. Most affidavit ballots have been accepted without the need for curing.
The decision has caused significant confusion for voters, voting rights groups, and perhaps also the state’s election chief during this year’s tight Senate race.*
The outdated guidance is still published on the Secretary of State’s website.
“Please get your election information from a trusted source — your election commissioner, your circuit clerk, or the Secretary of State’s office,” Watson wrote on Tuesday.
After deleting the incorrect information, the Secretary of State’s office did not respond to questions from Democracy Docket about why the post was deleted and what the current process for mail ballot curing is.
The inaccurate post comes on the last day mail ballots can be accepted for the state’s contentious U.S. Senate race. Tuesday is also the state’s deadline for voters who had to cast affidavit ballots to verify their identity.
*The Elias Law Group (ELG) represents the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and is active in the legal effort on behalf of the Colom campaign. ELG Firm Chair Marc Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.