Election Denial in Mississippi
1 Election Denier currently holds statewide office with election oversight power.
1 Election Denier won an election for statewide office this year.
2 Election Deniers have held, or run for, statewide office since 2020.
The landscape in Mississippi
Election administration across the country is already underfunded. A number of states have made that problem more difficult by outlawing private donations to support election funding.
Mississippi is one such state. Gov. Tate Reeves may not be classified as an Election Denier, but he signed the state’s ban into law in April 2022. It’s an example of how Election Denier behavior, and trends that came out of the movement, can hurt election officials even if state leaders aren’t Election Deniers themselves.
Attorney General Lynn Fitch, an Election Denier, was re-elected in November 2023. In December 2020, she threw her support behind a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the valid election results of four states. Fitch cited concerns about election integrity and “voter fraud.” Voter fraud is practically nonexistent. An academic study published in 2021 examined prominent claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020 and concluded that “none of them is even remotely convincing.”
Four members of Mississippi’s Congressional delegation were among the 147 who voted to overturn 2020 election results.
1 Election Denier holds statewide Office right now.
Elections are run by the states. In Mississippi, the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State are the state officials responsible for overseeing elections. It’s up to them to make sure the will of the people is always respected.
Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections
Attorney General of Mississippi
Term started 2020
Term ends 2024
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Taken action to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles, including:
Filing or supporting litigation seeking to overturn the results based on conspiracies or baseless legal theories.
Filing or supporting litigation that was sanctioned for being malicious or without merit in the aftermath of an election.
Promoting or participating in a Stop the Steal–sponsored or branded event or rally during or following the 2020 election.
Calling for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election or a race in subsequent elections after the results were certified, were officially audited, or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
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Falsely claimed former President Trump won the 2020 presidential election instead of the legitimate winner, President Biden.
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Spread lies or promoted conspiracies about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles in public, including in social media, press statements, or comments to the press.
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Refused to certify, or called on or pressured election officials to refuse to certify, the 2020 presidential election results or a race in subsequent elections based on meritless claims about election fraud, voter fraud, misinformation, or lies.
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Refused to concede a race, or publicly supported a candidate’s refusal to concede a race, after the results were officially audited or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
How Mississippi compares
Every state runs its own elections, with its own laws and processes. Check out how Mississippi compares with other states in its region when it comes to Election Deniers holding state election administration jobs.
Election Denial in Southeast States
Sitting official is an Election Denier
- In Florida, the Governor appoints the Secretary of State. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is an Election Denier and appointed Cord Byrd as Florida’s Secretary of State in May 2022.
- In North Carolina, the Executive Director is appointed by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- In South Carolina, the Executive Director is appointed by the South Carolina Election Commission.
- In Tennessee, the Secretary of State is appointed by the legislature.
- In Virginia, the Governor appoints the Commissioner of Elections.
Voter turnout over time
Voters are always the backstop against election denial, whether Election Deniers are already in office or vying for power. It’s important to turn out for every election in your state—and to vote in every race on your ballot. Downballot races, like contests for Attorney General and Secretary of State, have historically drawn fewer voters, even though the positions are critical to keeping elections free, fair, and secure. Here’s a look at voter participation in Mississippi elections over time. Notice that in years with several important positions up for election, some voters choose not to vote in every race.
Voter Participation in Mississippi Since 2016
- #071B40
- President
- #2455A0
- Senator
- #4387F1
- Governor
- #A7C5F3
- Attorney General
- #EDF3FD
- Secretary of State
2016 Presidential
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President had a 55% voter turnout rate
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2018 Midterm
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Senator had a 42% voter turnout rate
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2019 Off-year
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Governor had a 40% voter turnout rate
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Attorney General had a 39% voter turnout rate
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Secretary of State had a 39% voter turnout rate
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2020 Presidential
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President had a 59% voter turnout rate
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Senator had a 59% voter turnout rate
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Voter turnout
Data on the number of votes cast in each race are from state elections depositories, supplemented with data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), House Election Statistics, and The Book of States. Rates are calculated using the Census’s Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) estimates. Rates will be updated when the Census releases new CVAP data for 2022.
Beyond the ballot box
Each year, state legislators introduce thousands of bills related to elections. And in the past few years, we’ve identified a concerning trend. Across the country, state legislatures are considering bills that would make it easier for partisan actors to manipulate an election, and maybe even overturn the will of the people. We’re tracking these bills along with our partners in an ongoing series of reports called “A Democracy Crisis in the Making.” In 2023 alone, through early May, we tracked 185 bills introduced in 38 state legislatures that would politicize, criminalize, or interfere with elections.
The anti-democracy playbook is simple: change the rules and change the referees, in order to change the results. These bills go hand-in-hand with the Election Denier movement: They’re about taking power away from voters and making it harder for trusted election officials to do their jobs.
Legislative Interference in Mississippi by Category
As of May 3, 2023, 8 bills had been introduced or were under consideration in Mississippi. None have been enacted or adopted and none have been vetoed after passing.
These bills show that the threat to elections in Mississippi, and all across the country, goes well beyond the ballot box.
- Imposing disproportionate criminal or other penalties.These bills would create or expand penalties for election officials in the ordinary execution of their jobs, including criminalizing inadvertent mistakes.
- Creating unworkable burdens in election administration.These bills would interfere with the basic procedures of election administration, increasing the risk of chaos and delay and enabling misleading claims of irregularity.
- Seizing power over election responsibilities.These bills would shift election administration responsibilities away from professional, nonpartisan officials and toward partisan actors in the legislature.
- Requiring partisan or unprofessional election “audits” or reviews.These bills would establish vague post-election review schemes without the professional standards of traditional audits.
- Usurping control over election results.These bills would give legislators or other state officials direct control over election outcomes.