Circuit Judge denies request to keep polls open; MS GOP seeks to overturn chancery ruling

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A Hinds County circuit judge has denied a request from a voting rights group to keep polls in Hinds County open until 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi Republican Party is asking the Mississippi Supreme Court to overturn a chancery court ruling allowing polls in the state’s largest county to remain open until 8.

The filings come after a tumultuous day of voting in Hinds County, which left thousands of people waiting in line for hours to vote after multiple precincts ran out of ballots.

The line at Wildwood Baptist Church in Clinton currently. Some voters who just cast their ballot had waited for 2 and a half hours. I’m told this polling location has run out of ballots at least 5 times and have been restocked w/ less than 100 ballots every couple hours. @WLBT pic.twitter.com/azUOIvkEs2
— Brendan Hall (@HallReports) November 8, 2023

Republicans are asking that the state’s highest court vacate Chancery Court Judge Dewayne Thomas’ earlier ruling allowing polls in the county to remain open to 8 p.m. Alternatively, they’re asking that all ballots cast by voters not in line at 7 p.m. to be “segregated and not counted with ballots of voters in line prior to 7 p.m.”

Those votes could make a difference in the race for Mississippi governor. Hinds County is a Democratic stronghold and could help sway the election in favor of Brandon Presley.

The GOP’s request comes hours after the Mississippi Democratic Party asked the chancery court to keep open the polls after numerous voters reported not being able to cast ballots.

In a separate case, Senior Status Judge Jess Dickinson denied Mississippi Votes’ request to keep certain polls open until 9, instead ruling that the polling places at Byram City Hall, Northside Baptist Church, Raymond United Methodist Church, and Wildwood Baptist Church remain open “until the last qualified voters, who [were] standing in line at the polling place at 7:00 p.m. has cast his or her ballot.”

Mississippi Votes has filed a request for reconsideration, citing the chancery court order, and multiple voting issues that were ongoing shortly before 7 p.m.

Clinton 5 (Old A.E. Wood Library) - As of 6:45 p.m., the polling place had just 14 ballots left and 100 people in line, as well as 4 express vote cards being saved for voters with disabilities.
Byram 1 (Griffith Memorial Baptist) - as of 6:45 p.m., the site had a long line and only 25-30 ballots left.
Old Byram (Byram City Hall) - This site was out of ballots for two hours. They also ran out of cards for the Express Voting Machine. The precinct manager reports voters left.
Raymond 1 (United Methodist Church) - Ran out of ballots at 3 p.m. Some ballots had been spoiled.
Clinton 3 (Northside Baptist Church) - Ran out of ballots three times today; only given 100 ballots at a time after running out.
Clinton 2 (Wildwood Baptist Church) - Ballot shortages all through the day. Ran out of Express Voting ballots.
Byram 3 (Trinity Wesleyan Church) - Ran out of ballots this evening. Poll workers were advising people to leave because they would not be getting ballots.
Clinton 4 (Clinton YMCA) - At the time of the filing, poll managers said only 100 ballots left; no time for when more would arrive.