Municipal elections; authorize poll managers from outside city limits of small municipalities poll manager's county., the official text

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2026 Regular Session

To: Apportionment and Elections

By: Representative Steverson

House Bill 630

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 23-15-231, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972,
TO AUTHORIZE THE APPOINTMENT OF A QUALIFIED ELECTOR OF A COUNTY RESIDING
OUTSIDE THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF A SMALL MUNICIPALITY LOCATED IN THE COUNTY TO
BE APPOINTED A POLL MANAGER FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION
23-15-235, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH AUTHORIZES THE APPOINTMENT OF
ADDITIONAL POLL MANAGERS IN CERTAIN VOTING PRECINCTS, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE
AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1.  Section
23-15-231, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

23-15-231.  Before every
election, the election commissioners shall appoint three (3) persons for each
voting precinct to be poll managers, one (1) of whom shall be designated by the
election commissioners as election bailiff.  For general and special
elections, the poll managers shall not all be of the same political party if
suitable persons of different political parties can be found in the district.
If any person appointed shall fail to attend and serve, the poll managers
present, if any, may designate someone to fill his or her place; and if the
election commissioners fail to make the appointments or in case of the failure
of all those appointed to attend and serve, any three (3) qualified electors
present when the polls should be opened may act as poll managers. * * *Provided, however, Any person appointed to be
poll manager or act as poll manager shall be a qualified elector of the county,
or in the case of a municipal election, the municipality, in which the
polling place is located; however, in those municipalities having a
population of less than two thousand (2,000) according to the latest decennial
census, a person who is not a qualified elector of the municipality may be
appointed to serve or act as a poll manager in a municipal election so long as
that person is a qualified elector of the county in which the municipality is
located.

SECTION 2.  Section
23-15-235, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:

23-15-235.  In addition to
the poll managers appointed pursuant to Section 23-15-231, for the first five
hundred (500) registered voters in each voting precinct, the election
commissioners may, in their discretion, appoint not more than three (3) persons
to serve as poll managers of the election.  The election commissioners may, in
their discretion, appoint additional persons to serve as poll managers for each
one thousand (1,000) registered voters or fraction thereof in each voting
precinct above the first five hundred (500), as determined necessary by the
election commissioners and approved by the board of supervisors.  Any person
appointed as poll manager shall be a qualified elector of the county in which
the voting precinct is located.

SECTION 3.  This act
shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.