Secretary Michael Watson Newsletter

Mississippi Secretary of State sent this bulletin at 09/20/2023 09:10 AM CDT

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PRIMARY ELECTION DAY RECAP

Mississippi's Primary Election Day on August 8 featured statewide, state district, county, and county district offices on the ballot. The Primary Runoff Election on August 29 featured runoffs in 65 counties including six legislative races.

Unfortunately, the turnout for this primary election was approximately 30% of registered voters, the lowest statewide turnout since 2007, despite the promising absentee ballot numbers, and the work we’ve done registering and educating voters around the state.

As a reminder, elections directly affect every part of our daily lives. From the roads on which we drive, the amount of taxes we pay, and even the regulations on our barbers, all are controlled by the people we elect. Whether you show up on Election Day or not, a decision will be made as to who will be creating, regulating, and enforcing laws at both the state and county levels. I encourage each of you, regardless of the races on the ballot, to show up on Election Day to ensure you have a voice in who will be making decisions impacting you.

IMPORTANT ELECTION DATES:

Monday, September 25:
- In-person absentee voting begins
Saturday, October 7:
- Clerk's offices open for voter registration (8 a.m. to noon)
Monday, October 9:
- In-person voter registration deadline
Tuesday, October 10:
- Mail-in voter registration deadline (must be postmarked by this date)
Saturday, October 28 & November 4:
- Saturday in-person absentee (8 a.m. to noon)
Tuesday, November 7:
- ELECTION DAY

MORE NEWS

AP: Mississippians Should Revive Process to Put Issues on Ballot

READ MORE

MS TODAY (podcast): Secretary of State Michael Watson pitches campaign finance reform

LISTEN NOW

OPINION COLUMN: Mississippi Needs An Engaged Electorate

READ NOW

NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION MONTH

September is National Voter Registration Month (NVRM)! This designation was established in 2002 by members of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) as a non-partisan means of encouraging voter participation and increasing awareness about state requirements and deadlines for voting.

While I’m proud of our office’s continuous efforts to register Mississippi voters in September, we have to remain committed to promoting this civic duty year round. Since January 2020, we have registered nearly 250,000 new voters through events like NVRM, the Voter Registration Roadtrip, and our newly created and wonderfully successful SOS Student Ambassador program.

Visit YallVote.ms to learn more about registering or to ensure your voter registration information is up-to-date.

VISIT YALLVOTE.MS

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

The August Primary Election cycle revealed numerous flaws in Mississippi's current campaign finance election code. The purpose of campaign finance is to create transparency and accountability, and unfortunately, when lacking, action must be taken.

My team and I are currently evaluating ways we can ensure candidates and political action committees follow the law and are held responsible if the law is broken. Further, Mississippians need the ability to accurately and efficiently research from where candidate contributions originate.

Stay tuned for more updates as we move closer to the 2024 Legislative Session!

AMBASSADOR SUMMITS

Our 2023-2024 Ambassador class activities are well underway. The class convened at the Capitol in early August for a day packed with informational sessions with our SOS team and a Lunch & Learn about the opportunities for great careers right here at home with C-Spire.

We added regional sessions this year to provide more face time with our students and recently visited the Ole Miss campus where we learned more about the Center for Manufacturing Excellence and heard leadership lessons from Coach Yo and Ole Miss AD Keith Carter. It is an honor to mentor these young Mississippians and exciting to know we are building strong leaders for generations to come!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STUDENT AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

OLRC VOTES

We continue to tackle the red tap in Mississippi, most recently through my votes as a member of the Occupational Licensing Review Commission. I'm proud to note at our most recent meeting, I surpassed 100 votes to remove burdensome regulations on hardworking Mississippians (106 votes as of September 12, 2023).

Our goal remains to increase economic opportunities for all Mississippians by promoting competition and encouraging innovation and job growth. Should you or someone you know be affected by a burdensome regulation, I encourage you to reach out to my team or visit the Tackle the Tape website below.

VISIT THE TACKLE THE TAPE WEBSITE

CONSERVATION TASK FORCE

I love when our Conservation Task Force assembles! Not only are these some of Mississippi’s brightest minds in the conservation space, but they have become friends with whom I'm proud to work to make Mississippi better. Our efforts to solidify a comprehensive statewide conservation plan will pay dividends for generations to come!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONSERVATION TASK FORCE

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Cody Case

Cody is currently an investigator in our Securities Division. He has been employed with the Secretary of State's Office since November 2021.

Cody is a team player who comes to work every day with a positive attitude and a willingness to lend a hand whenever needed. He understands the value of our work, and the protections we provide everyday Mississippians.

We are thankful for his efforts and proud to have him on our team!

CLICK TO VIEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES