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Mississippi Statutes § 23-15-577 Presence of credentialed poll watchers and candidates at polling place; presentation of written authorization of candidate or political party by credentialed poll watcher to poll manager; inspection and challenge of qualifications of voter by candidate or credentialed poll watcher; interference in election process by candidates and credentialed poll watchers prohibited

⤴ Up to Subarticle B: Affidavit Ballots and Challenged Ballots

Statute Text

(1) Each candidate on the ballot shall have the right, either in person or by a credentialed poll watcher, to be present at the polling place. In general and special elections, each political party that has a candidate on the ballot shall have the right to be represented at the polling place by two (2) credentialed poll watchers.
(2) A credentialed poll watcher means a poll watcher of good conduct and behavior, authorized in writing to act as the representative of a candidate on the ballot or political party that has a candidate on the ballot. The written authorization of the candidate or political party must be presented to a poll manager by the certified poll watcher upon arrival at the polling place.
(3) Poll managers shall provide candidates and credentialed poll watchers with a suitable position from which they may be able to clearly see and hear the manner in which the election is held. Candidates and credentialed poll watchers shall be authorized to bring their own pollbooks, whether in a print or electronic form, to the polling place during each general and special election.
(4) Candidates and credentialed poll watchers shall be allowed to challenge the qualifications of any person offering to vote, and their challenge shall be considered and acted upon by the poll managers. However, candidates and credentialed poll watchers shall not be allowed to interfere in the election process, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Communicating with any voter;
(b) Physically touching or handling any ballot, absentee ballot envelope, absentee ballot application or affidavit ballot envelope;
(c) Viewing or photographing the pollbooks while at the polling place; or
(d) Photographing the receipt books while at the polling place.

Source

Derived from 1972 Code § 23-1-41 [Codes, 1906, § 3716; Hemingway's 1917, § 6408; 1930, § 5886; Laws, 1942, § 3128.5; Laws, 1970, ch. 506, § 7; repealed by Laws, 1986, ch. 495, § 331]; Laws, 1986, ch. 495, § 184, eff. 1/1/1987.

History

Amended by Laws, 2017 , ch. 441 , HB 467 , 117 , eff. 4/18/2017 .

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