The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office this week issued a list of violations it found during the 2009 election cycle, including primary elections and runoffs in May and the June 2 general election.

The “2009 Municipal Election Report” describes the violations and voter fraud allegations discovered throughout the state including the City Beautiful.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said poll workers in Laurel were videotaped allowing those not qualified for assistance to receive help.

“According to code 23-15-549, if a voter is blind, disabled or unable to read or write, they can receive help,” he said. “They are supposed to come to a polling place and ask for assistance. They then have the right to receive assistance from a poll worker or anyone else that they request.”

Hosemann said that in Laurel and other parts of the state voters who did not appear to be blind, disabled or unable to read brought someone in with them to cast their ballot.

Hosemann said voter assistance, affidavit fraud and voter identification were three of the most widespread issues throughout the state.

“As part of our training process, we go over with all of the election officials what the requirements are for assistance,” he said. “Apparently, these are either being ignored by the poll workers or the general public. In a number of different instances, we believe that caused a number of ballots where voting was done by someone else (other than the voter).”

Hosemann said the number of absentee ballots placed were “horrific” in some cities.

According to the report, Macon had 541 absentee votes out of a total of 1,384 votes, roughly 39.4 percent. Other municipalities with high absentee ballot rates included Charleston (22.74 percent), West Point (19 percent), Sardis (18.2 percent) and Ripley (14.4 percent). By comparison, Jackson, the state’s largest municipality, only had 381 absentee votes out of a total of 33,800 votes cast for a rate of 1.17 percent.

“It’s obvious that we have cities and counties where absentee ballots are being misused,” Hosemann said. “To qualify for an absentee ballot, one of the qualifications is that you’re going to be out of town on election day. That’s being routinely misused in Mississippi. In some cases, voters are receiving absentee ballots that didn’t order them.”

Hosemann said voter fraud issues will be addressed in the next legislative session in Jackson.

Laurel Deputy City Clerk Terri Smith said only 77 absentee votes were cast in the mayor’s race on June 2. That’s out of 1,500 votes cast in that election, or .05 percent of the vote.

“Those who received absentee ballots are those that have been requesting them for years,” Smith said. “I don’t believe (absentee ballot fraud) is a problem here. Most of them are ones that don’t like to go to the polls, shut-ins or homebound.”

Smith said that the general election had a low turnout, because most of the races had already been decided. Indeed, most of the races for city council were uncontested and Mayor Melvin Mack easily won re-election.

Other violations noted in the report include:

• Candidates and their supporters campaigning inside of precincts, at the door to precincts, and in the parking lot which fell within the 150 foot rule (Collins, Greenwood, Fayette, Bogue Chitto, Columbus and Como).

• Absentee ballots being counted in secret without each being read aloud. This was occurring in Arcola until the County Chancery Clerk objected to the procedure.

• In Wiggins, Meridian, Greenwood and Como, persons were observed delivering electors to the polls and assisting them even though there was no appropriate legal reason for the electors to be assisted.

• A person in Fayette was allowed to register and vote a regular ballot on Election Day.

• Some reports from observers and others from citizens of intimidation of voters by law enforcement officers in Arcola, Gautier, Macon, New Albany, Tutwiler and Mantachie.

The report addresses a number of categories including opening the polls; precinct neutral zones; voter assistance; police at the polls; curbside voting; affidavit ballots; and counting the ballots.

The report concluded that the biggest areas of continuing concern are absentee ballots, inaccurate poll books, campaigning too close to the polls and voter assistance.

“We will continue to provide training and emphasize those items of concern,” the report states. “In addition, we will continue to urge municipalities to comply with SB 2744 as passed in the 2008 Regular Legislative Session which will help with poll book accuracy. Finally, where criminal violations are believed to have occurred, we will remain in contact with the Attorney General and appropriate law enforcement officials.”

For a copy of the report, visit www.sos.ms.gov.