Election Reform Review Panel Report
Jackson, MS—In an effort to gauge and receive public input on election reforms in our State, the Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate in the 2008 Legislative Session passed Senate Bill 2910 (“SB 2910”), which called for certain voting reforms as well as the formation of an Election Reform Review Panel.
“The five election task force meetings were a great opportunity for members of Legislature, representatives of the Attorney General’s Office, as well as representatives from the Circuit Clerks and Election Commissioners Associations to come together to hear what the people of Mississippi feel needs to be improved upon and what works in our election system,” says Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.
In accordance with SB 2910, panel members heard public comment on the following topics: voter identification requirements, early voting, voter registration, absentee voting, voting patterns, education, training of election officials, and any other election reforms deemed important by the panel.
“We received a tremendous response on these topics from the citizens in our State,” says Secretary Hosemann. “Those comments have been summarized and compiled into this report which we hope the Legislature will find useful in the upcoming Legislative Session.”
The Elections Reform Task Force Panel was chaired by Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, as well as, Senator Terry Burton (Chairman of Senate Elections Committee), Senator Tommy Dickerson (Vice-Chair of the Senate Elections Committee), Senator Merle Flowers (Appointee of the Lieutenant Governor), Larry Gardner (President of the Election Commissioners Association of Mississippi), Representative Brandon Jones (Appointee of the Speaker of the House), Reese Partridge (Appointee of the Attorney General), Representative Tommy Reynolds (Chairman of the House Apportionment and Elections Committee), Haley Salazar (Appointee of the Mississippi Circuit Clerks Association), and Representative Adrienne Wooten (Vice-Chair of the House Apportionment and Elections Committee).
Attached is a copy of the Elections Reform Review Panel Report. If you cannot view the attached report in its entirety, visit our website at www.sos.state.ms.us.