When Benjamin Franklin was once asked what type of government the Constitutional Convention adopted, his cautionary response was, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

It is no surprise the greater Jackson area has its fair share of dilapidated properties. As the State Land Commissioner, our office's ultimate goal is to return these tax-forfeited lands (TFL) back to private ownership, while obtaining optimal price for the properties, so they may once again produce revenues to the respective taxing authorities. Through these efforts, we have seen tremendous success—so much so our current state-owned roll sits right at 7,000 parcels, down from about 20,000 in 2015.

JACKSON, Miss. – In a conference room at a recent cybersecurity training, I found myself squinting at a screen, playing a high-stakes game of “real or fake.” The assignment was straightforward—sort out which images projected in front of us were authentic and which were AI-generated. Most in the room, myself included, struggled to tell the difference.

It was a wake-up call. If a group of AI-informed participants had trouble distinguishing fakes, how easily could these deceptions skew the information creeping into the feeds of Mississippi voters?

While this year’s legislative session is full steam ahead and our office continues to promote the implementation of new security measures for Mississippi elections, it’s important to pause and provide an update on the status of safeguards employed from previous sessions.

Despite successfully administering the 2024 Presidential Election just a few months ago, Mississippi has shifted full steam ahead into the 2025 municipal elections. While the presidential election routinely garners tremendous attention, our local municipal elections are often drastically overlooked despite being just as important. 

Since first entering public service in 2008, I have dedicated myself to ensuring the security and integrity of Mississippi’s elections. Yet, I’m just one person and no one person can do things alone.

Considering Mississippi is a bottom-up state when it comes to elections, my goal as Secretary of State has been to foster an environment of open dialogue and collaboration with our election officials around the state. Evidenced by the completion of our 82 County Tour, relationship-building and providing avenues of support have been key to conducting clean elections on my watch.

Last week, coastal media outlets announced a local judgment against state control of state-owned tidelands, going as far to claim the State is trying to control casino leases, question future tidelands fund contributions, and do

For the third time in the history of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office had the opportunity to host the NASS summer conference in Biloxi last week. After being awarded the bid to host during the NASS 2025 summer conference, we were excited to finally welcome the nearly 400 attendees to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

When I travel the roads visiting Mississippians, one of the questions I’m most often asked by our youngest generation is, “What’s the biggest thing you can do to prepare for a career in politics?” Emphatically, I answer the same way every time: You better know what you believe.