JONES COUNTY, Miss.–The hearing that is set for Wednesday at 9:30 in Jones County court will present Mississippi with an unprecedented court case in which your vote could be tossed, at least in state Sen. Chris McDaniel and his legal team get their way.
News Mississippi will be at the courthouse and will have the info as soon as it comes out in court.
Sec. of State Delbert Hosemann said that he is hopeful the judge will expedite whatever will be, be it a trial or more hearings.
“The state Board of Elections will meet in the first or second week of September,” he said. “We will apporve the ballot at that time. We are very hopeful that whatever happens will occur in the next month or so. We start sending overseas military ballots on the 20th of September. I think the judge will take that into consideration.”
The hearing stems from a lawsuit filed last week by McDaniel’s camp. He wants certain counties’ ballots thrown out because he believes people who intend to vote Democrat in the general election, voted Republican in the primary run-off, causing him to lose to incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran.
His camp asked the state Republican party to toss the entire election and declare him the winner. The party refused to hear the case, as presented in a 250 plus page document filled with affidavits, Tweets, Facebook pasts and other materials that McDaniel’s lawyers said was enough evidence to show the intent of some voters.
Republican Party Chairman Joe Nosef, Jr. said the hearing Wednesday could break new ground.
“I think one thing that got everybody’s attention was the relief requested, to name a new winner, which I though was unprecedented.”
He said he does not know how you would enforce a law where your intent is called into question, meaning, if you say you are a Democrat, but vote Republican. Under state law, you can do that because you are not required to register as a Republican or Democrat in Mississippi.
The hearing may only be a preliminary step, where the judge sets more hearings for a future date.
