Will you know if your vote counts?: A look behind 1000s of Mississippi affidavit ballots

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - For some Mississippi voters, Election Day brought an unexpected problem: despite believing they were registered, their names were missing from the poll books.

The solution? Casting an affidavit ballot.

Now, election officials across the state are reviewing thousands of these votes, called provisional ballots in many states, to determine which votes can legally be counted.

In DeSoto County, Election Commissioner Sissie Ferguson says there are more than 2,000 affidavit ballots under review.

Kelly Jacobs, chair of Indivisible DeSoto County, says some voters checked their registration status online before heading to the polls, only to discover they were “inactive” when they arrived.

Some voters waited in line for hours, even in the rain, before being told they weren’t in the poll book.

Jacobs has been observing the ballot review process and recently asked Ferguson how voters would find out whether their ballots were accepted or rejected.

“They were prepared. They came. They stood in line for one hour, two hours. They stood in line in the rain,” says Jacobs. “And then when they got up there, they’re told, ‘You’re not in the book.’”

Commissioner Ferguson said voters will be able to check their ballot status after the election is certified, but there is no opportunity to correct or change a ballot that has already been cast.

That means voters with affidavit ballots cast for reasons other than a lack of identification will have to wait until certification to learn whether their votes were counted.

There is a different deadline for voters who cast affidavit ballots because they did not have proper identification.

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson says those voters must visit their circuit clerk’s office by Tuesday, November 10, to present the required identification.

For other affidavit voters, no additional action is required.

Watson says the state also has an online tracker where voters can check the status of their affidavit ballots. However, information won’t appear until election officials have processed the ballots and certified the election.

“If yours has not been processed yet, it will not show up on the tracker. So don’t panic, be patient,” Watson said.

As of Friday evening, Watson reported that 11,202 affidavit ballots had been processed statewide, with approximately 78% accepted.

Mississippi circuit clerks have 10 days to certify the election, setting the statewide deadline for November 13.

Until then, thousands of voters are waiting to learn whether their affidavit ballots will ultimately be counted.

RELATED — Representatives of Cindy Hyde-Smith send letter to counties, demanding preservation of all affidavit ballots

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.