JACKSON, Miss. —

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said so far there has been what could be a record turnout for a midterm election.

“I think people are listening to the candidates and to the issues. The president has been here and a whole bunch of others, so we’re encouraged by that turnout,” Hosemann said. “I don’t think we’re going to be at presidential numbers, but we’re going to be above midterm numbers.”

The polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters who are in line at 7 p.m. will still be allowed to cast their ballots. Voters must have a voter ID or a state ID to cast their ballots.

More than 60,000 absentee ballots have been recorded statewide and turnout at the polls was between 10 and 20 percent Tuesday morning, Hosemann said.

In addition to two closely watched U.S. Senate races, there are also congressional seats and several state and county races on the line.

Hosemann said he has about 15 observers in precincts across the state.

Election officials in Jackson County reported that electronic poll votes did not function correctly, Hosemann said. There were a number of issues in Hinds County, including scanner problems and voter errors. A split precinct in Madison County was not synced up because of an error during the setup of the machines, Hosemann said.

Original source: WAPT

JACKSON, Miss (WJTV) – One day before Mississippians go to the polls for the midterm election WJTV spoke with Mississippi’s Secretary of State about efforts to protect the state’s election systems.

“There are aggressive attempts to break into our system everyday- literally every minute of every day,” said Delbert Hosemann

Hosemann adds there are tens of thousands of hacking attempts and the leading places are Russia, China, Japan and the Netherlands. 

He said, “It’s not news to me that they’’re attempting this, and yes the numbers of attempts are significant.”

While he says cyber security was the furthest thing from his mind when he took office in 2008 he quickly learned how to keep ballots as secure as possible. 

“We have fire walls, we have protections we have instituted off site, I’ve gone to the level that 2 o’clock every day I download the whole system and I put it in a bank vault,” Hosemann said.

“I think the hacking into the system, in my opinion really is more about getting your information to get your money,” He said. “They want to get the last four digits of your social security number, your date of birth and your address. “

Four and a half million dollars of federal grants will go towards helping counties better protect their elections. 

“Even in an event that someone were to get in I have put stops so you couldn’t get  into another county for example and you couldn’t’ get in an x number and I’m not going to get in the x number but you couldn’t  get in an x number before the whole system shuts down,” the secretary said.

Hosemann says the best way to secure your ballot is to be smart and go vote. 
“The only reason you not gone be able to get your ballot counted is if you don’t get in your truck and go cast it,” said Hosemann. 

HIs office often test its cyber security by getting outside groups including the Mississippi national guard to try and hack in. 

None of the voting machines are connected to the internet and every ballot is audited with a paper trail. 

Original source: WJTV

JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi — With $10 million in Tidelands funds released to the Mississippi coast by the Secretary of State’s office, Jackson County is already set to move forward with some $1.1 million in projects which will be funded with Tidelands proceeds.

In announcing the release of the funds in late October, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann noted the $10 million is the statutory maximum allowed under state law. Total Tidelands revenues for fiscal 2018 were $10,924,573.

Monies going into the Tidelands Trust Fund are generated by leases on lands owned by the State in trust for the public, as well as assessments from onshore gaming operations.

“As public servants, it falls to us to make sure future generations are able to enjoy our beautiful Gulf Coast,” Hosemann said. “The Tidelands Trust Fund and the important projects it fuels help make this possible.”

Jackson County and its four municipalities will all benefit from the infusion of Tidelands monies, which are released to the Mississippi Department of Resources, which in turn selects the project to be funded.

In Gautier, $250,000 will go towards numerous improvements at Shepard State Park.

“The biggest thing will be preliminary engineering for the construction of a boardwalk along the northwest side of the park along the marsh,” said April Havens, Gautier’s Grants Administrator.

“It will be for bird-watchers, nature-lovers, with interpretive signage with some educational materials for park visitors and campers.”

In addition, once the log cabin building currently under construction is ready to be occupied by park personnel as the check-in and visitor’s center, the current park office will be renovated into a laundry and amenity room for overnight campers.

“That’s something they’ve been asking for a long time,” Havens said. “Currently, we have to send them off-site to do their laundry.”

Other improvements for campers will be picnic tables, upgrades to RV site electrical outlets, new firepits and grills.

Also on the City’s list for the park are new playground equipment, walking/jogging trails and the equipment to maintain them, and new targets for the archery range.

Havens noted the Tidelands money may not allow them to complete all of those improvements.

“We write all of it in (to the application) so that we can do them if the money allows,” she said. “The top priorities would definitely be the walking trail along the marsh and the upgrades for campers.”

In Ocean Springs, $240,000 in Tidelands funds has been allocated to help stabilize Front Beach, which has for years suffered from erosion.

Mayor Shea Dobson said the City will spend some of the money on a living shoreline along one section of the beach, then commission a study to determine the best course of action to protect the remainder of the beach.

“There’s considerable erosion going on,” Dobson said. “We are going to do the living shoreline, but we also want the study to make certain we pursue the best option.”

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors, meanwhile, will be the recipients of $275,000 — ostensibly for improvements to the Brittany Avenue boat launch in the St. Martin community.

Supervisor Troy Ross, who represents the St. Martin area, said the biggest issue with the heavily-used boat launch is the lack of adequate parking. Currently, the County is in negotiations with adjoining property owners to expand the parking.

“We’re still in negotiations with them as to whether or not they’re willing to sell,” Ross said. “We’ve got to get that done first. Once that gets done, we’ll be able to expand the parking and make some other improvements.”

Those other improvements would be repair/replacement of awnings, additional water outlets, and bait-cutting stations.

But, Ross said, the key is the parking. He estimated 70 percent of the Tidelands money allocated for the project would go towards purchase of the property and asphalt. If the owners ultimately refuse to sell, he said the money could be diverted elsewhere.

“This isn’t a case where I think forcing the issue is a good idea,” Ross said. “It isn’t a major public need, something we have to do. If they don’t want to sell, I’ll support moving the money to another project.”

Other Tidelands-funded projects approved by the MDMR are $200,000 in amenities for Point Park in Pascagoula, and $150,000 for a Dantzler Street alignment project in Moss Point.

In announcing the release of the Tidelands funds to the coast, Hosemann noted that Tidelands funds sent back to the coast, including the $9.6 anticipated during fiscal 2019, will have totaled more than $100 million since 2008 — a marked increase over the previous decade when the coast received $54.5 million in Tidelands funds.

Original source: GulfLive.com

Original source: WLBT

Original post: WLBT

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is working with students at Madison Central High School to make sure they’re prepared for next month’s midterms. During today’s lunch period, students cast mock ballots for the U.S. Senate races and for the U.S. House seats in their district.

The Promote The Vote education project is sponsored by the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office and encourages civic responsibility. The program is aimed at increasing student interest in current issues.

But this isn’t their first stop of the season. Earlier this month, they visited Trentt Lott Academy to #PromotetheVote.

Original post: WJTV

The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office joins state charity regulators across the country, the National Association of State Charities Officials (NASCO), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to announce the first annual International Charity Fraud Awareness Week (ICFAW) on October 22-26, 2018.

ICFAW is a coordinated international campaign to help charities and consumers avoid charity fraud and promote wise giving. Follow the action at #CharityFraudOut.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and other U.S. partners are joining the Charities Commission for England & Wales, which for many years has hosted its own Charity Fraud Awareness Week, to expand the event to other countries.  In addition to the U.S. participants, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, the New Zealand Charities Service, and the Office of the Scottish Regulator are also joining in the international outreach effort.

“Our number one goal is always to provide information to help citizens ensure the money they are donating is going to those who need it the most—and not a fraudulent entity,” Secretary Hosemann said. “Citizens are encouraged to check charities on our website or call us before they donate if they have a question about charity registration and regulation in Mississippi.”

Throughout International Charity Fraud Awareness Week, the Secretary of State’s Office’s Facebook and Twitter pages will feature tips for consumers.

General tips for consumers considering donating to a charity include:

• Ask for the charity’s name, website, and physical location;
• Ask how much of any donation will go to the charitable program you want to support;
• Check the Secretary of State’s website to see whether the charity is registered in Mississippi;
• Search the charity’s name online with the word “scam” or “complaint.” See what other people say about it;
• Check out the charity’s ratings at the Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch, or Charity Navigator;
• Never pay with cash, a gift card, or by wiring money; and
• Consider paying by credit card, but never over the phone, and only after receipt of written information you can verify.

For more information about registered charities in Mississippi, visit www.sos.ms.gov/charities or call (601) 359-1599.

Original post: Y’all Politics

This afternoon, Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann presented a 10 million dollar check to the gulf coast.

The Tidelands Turnback trust fund devotes this money strictly to the coast, with half of it going to the Department of Marine Resources.

It’s split among the three coastal counties.

This will fund things like piers, board walks and other things to make the coast attractive for citizens and tourists.

Hosemann tells News 25 this continues to keep the culture of the coast alive by keeping the wetlands and islands in ownership of the people.

“It’s so helpful to your cities and your counties. When they come here and they need that extra 250,000 for a boat launch or whatever, this is where they come to do that. The legislature works really hard on this every year. They pay particular attention to this and the projects. It’s pretty evenly shaped across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”

Since 2008, the Secretary of State’s office will have turned back more than $100 million to the coast through the trust fund program during Hosemann’s tenure.

Original post: WXXV25

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann showed up to Trent Lott Academy in Pascagoula to inspire the youth to Promote the Vote.

Over 200 schools are participating in the Promote the Vote program. Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann wows students at Trent Lott Academy as he teaches them a variety of things. Fifth grader Jamicah Miller said, “I learned there’s a bunch of different branches, the legislative branch, the judicial branch, and the executive branch.”

Hosemann said, “Most elections are decided by people 50 years and older. Of course, they’re deciding what’s currently available, but the future is these chairs in here.”

After the students asked questions about how voting makes a difference in our everyday lives, it was time to go to the polls. “They are all excited to vote and I’m excited to see them. It’s just a very positive thing and it makes my day,” said Hosemann.

Students learned the voting process is pretty easy. All they have to do is get their IDs checked, place their vote, and then you get a cool sticker for voting. “Now that they see how easy it is, I’m so hopeful they’ll vote for constable or president, whatever it is,” said Hosemann.

The fifth graders know every vote counts and look forward to making their voices heard when they turn 18. Fifth grader Haydn Fisher said, “You can have a say in who is going to be in charge of the country and who is going to represent you. You want to have a say in that because it is important.”

Original post: WXXV25

Most of us realize that voting in a free and public election is a right afforded to only a few in the world. But it is something most Americans have taken for granted when they go to the polls on election day.

If they go at all.

Casting a ballot in elections continues to decline in the United States with voter apathy now the norm, overtaking the number of those who do decide to exercise their right of voting.

“During the Primary Election, little more than 13 percent of Mississippians turned out to cast a ballot,” Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said. 

It wasn’t always the case in our country decades and generations ago.

It’s a shame that people have to be encouraged to vote rather than looking forward to election day.

“Back in the day” people came out in droves to hear politicians campaign. That’s not the case any longer, but you can still hear from candidates running for public office if you take advantage of the opportunity Thursday evening when a forum is held at the Warren County Courthouse.

The Vicksburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Blacks in Government and the Vicksburg Branch of the NAACP will be in the Circuit Courtroom on the second floor of the courthouse at 6 p.m. U.S. Rep. Benny Thompson (D-Mississippi) has committed to the forum, along with several local candidates seeking public office.

It’s your chance to hear what the candidates have to say face-to-face and ask them questions.

Unfortunatley, the reality is that most registered voters won’t attend. But I say to those who really believe their vote doesn’t count, to take this into consideration: Men and women have died in combat so that you can cast that ballot.

That’s why it does my heart good to see a program like “Vote in Honor of Soldier,” which is an opportunity created by the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office that allows voters to dedicate their vote to a servicemember or veteran.

Voters interested in dedicating their vote can visit the Secretary of State’s website (sos.ms.gov), provide their information, and post a tribute to a soldier or veteran in their lives.  In turn, the Secretary of State’s Office will send the voter a letter, Voter Information Guide, and Vote in Honor of a Soldier sticker to wear on Election Day.

“We have a second opportunity on Nov. 6 to remember the 3,200 Mississippi National Guardsmen and women who are fighting overseas for us to have the opportunity to vote,” Hosemann said. “We hope all Mississippians will take the time to honor their sacrifices and cast a ballot.”

So if you think your vote doesn’t count, at least cast a vote for the one’s who do count — our men and women in uniform.

Original post: The Vicksburg Post