News editor Lacey McLaughlin reports mass confusion at the Hinds County Courthouse as officials disagree on how to count absentee ballots.
The Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee removed some absentee ballots from the envelopes they came in and put them into one pile. The Resolution Committee then counted the ballots and made sure everything looked right, but the envelopes were the only way to tell which precinct the votes were from.
Connie Cochran, Hinds County Election Commission chairwoman, said she could not certify the votes without knowing which precinct they were from.
The JFP has not been able to confirm exactly how many ballots were affected, though there seem to be a couple hundred.
Claude McInnis, Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee vice chairman, suggested that the votes be entered into the computer system and sent to the secretary of state despite not having the precinct numbers, but Cochran said she has never done that in 20 years.
A press conference is set for 3:30 p.m. to announce how the remaining absentee ballots will be certified. The JFP will update this story as we know more.
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