Some people have to vote twice on Nov. 5. Here’s what to know about Coast Senate race.
Nov. 5 is the general election in Mississippi to choose a new governor, and it’s also the day the Coast will know if Dixie Newman or Scott DeLano will represent District 50 in the state Senate.
Voters in five precincts in Harrison County will vote twice that day. In one section of the room they will vote in the general election, while in another part of the room will be a special election, with separate poll workers at each.
“Two totally separate elections are being conducted in the same precinct,” said Connie Ladner, Harrison County circuit clerk.
Just one vote separated the two Senate candidates after the primary election.
When irregularities were discovered in five precincts that are split between two Senate districts, Gov. Phil Bryant set the special election on the same day as the general election.
Ladner said the vote count in the 11 precincts that weren’t affected will stand. Those votes have Newman ahead by 126 votes going into the special election (2,297 to 2,161 for DeLano).
DeLano took all five contested precincts in the primary election, winning by 125 votes in those precincts (1,022 to 897), illustrating how close the election could be and how every vote counts.
“I think this election really has proven that,” Ladner said. It all comes down to getting people back out to vote, she said. And with a new governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and other state and county offices to be determined by voters, “It’s a pretty big election,” she said.
Should there be a tie at the end of the special election — and it has happened before, said Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann — it will come to a drawing of straws.
On the campaign trail
As of the last campaign reports — due on Oct. 10 — Newman has outspent DeLano by $23,000 for signs, advertising and other expenses.
Newman filed her report five days late on Oct. 15. She reports $115,863 in revenue and $105,760 in expenses.
Delano filed his report one day late on Oct. 11. It shows he’s had $83,545 in campaign contributions for the year and spent $82,386. He carried a balance from 2018 of $33,323.
Both candidates said they are ready for the Nov. 5 election.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” said Newman, who is focused on a “grassroots campaign.” She doesn’t have time for a forum in this short time to get ready for the special election, she said — “All the time I have is focused on going door to door.”
The voters she’s talked to are interested and informed, Newman said, and are most concerned with the condition of the roads. “Fix the roads first,” she said, and all the other concerns can follow.
“This is a new area for me to represent,” said DeLano, who served as a state representative since 2010. About half of the Coast delegation in Jackson will be new, he said. That is why he’s telling voters how important experience is for South Mississippi now that Sen. Tommy Gollott has retired and Sen. Michael Watson is running for another state office, he said.
DeLano said he attended a voter forum in Saucier on Oct. 15 to which both candidates were invited, and he plans to attend another in Woolmarket before the election.
How and where to vote
What precincts will vote?
Some voters in the five precincts at Saucier, New Hope, Howard Creek, Margaret Sherry and Biloxi 11 (Donal ✓Snyder) will vote in both the general and special elections. Other voters at those precincts are in another Senate district and won’t vote in the special election.
Who can vote in special election?
You must be a registered voter in Senate 50. Those who voted Republican or did not vote in the Aug. 6 primary are eligible to vote on Nov. 5.
“If you voted Democrat on Aug. 6 you are not eligible to vote in the special election,” Ladner said
How do know if I’m in District 50?
▪ You’ve likely had a visit from Newman or Delano
▪ Voter registration cards have the Senate district printed on them
▪ Use the precinct locator on the Harrison County website
▪ Call Ladner’s office at 228-865-4167 before Election Day
▪ Check the map posted on the wall at the polls
▪ Ask at the polls when attempting to check in for the special election
How will I remember to vote twice?
Ladner said extra people will be hired to work the polls at those five precincts that day. They will welcome voters and let them know there are two elections, “So they don’t miss out on one or the other.”
Should I vote in the special election first?
It doesn’t matter in what order you cast your ballot, Ladner said, so you can vote first in either the special election or general election.
When can I vote?
All the election laws apply to the special election, Ladner said, including voting times of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.
