Secretary of state touts ‘Tackle the Tape’ success

The Election Protection Project Podcast kicked off the season two premiere with Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson. In the episode, Secretary Watson discusses: Mississippi’s “TextMyGov” Post-election audits Watson’s upcoming term as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) What is needed to improve voter ID laws nationwide

(Clarion-Ledger) - Seven months into the new presidential administration, Americans are able to easily identify the numerous laws and changes the Trump Administration has enacted. Whether you're a fan or not, the restoration of law and order and emphasis on America and her people highlight the underlying theme of this Administration's efforts. However, whether there is a Republican or Democrat in the White House, my goal has, and will always be, to follow the law. When President Trump signed Executive Order 14248 in March to "preserve and protect the integrity of American elections," I was extremely pleased to see the prioritization of free and fair elections. In the hours and days following its release, I realized there was much work needed to ensure the protection of state-run elections. Thankfully, due to our diligent efforts to strengthen the integrity Mississippi's elections, my team was asked by the Trump Administration to invite a few other Secretaries for a visit with White House officials to share safeguards we have implemented and discuss the President’s focus on election integrity across the country. As the state's Chief Elections Officer, it was rather refreshing to have federal officials not only ask for our input but to truly listen. If you have heard me speak over the past year and a half, you have probably heard my experience and frustration with the Biden Administration's Executive Order 14019 (EO 14019). Not only was EO 14019 a weaponization of the federal government on state-run elections, but Biden Administration officials would not even engage in transparent dialogue or provide documentation from discussions or implementation. While both EOs needed review and input from state election officials, knowing our current White House Administration is seeking input is invaluable and the premise on which our country was founded. Further, Mississippians should be proud to know our state is leading the way in election integrity. Having recently climbed 15 spots on an election integrity scorecard, I am confident the vote one casts, is the vote which is counted! — Michael Watson is Secretary of State for the State of Mississippi.

Last week, coastal media outlets announced a local judgment against state control of state-owned tidelands, going as far to claim the State is trying to control casino leases , question future tidelands fund contributions, and doubt the use of taxpayer dollars on these lawsuits. Once again, and similarly to my predecessors, I find myself in the crosshairs of local authorities acting in their own best interest while performing my responsibility as trustee of the Public Trust Tidelands. While I cannot and will not contest every biased media outlet, it is imperative to reaffirm the costly effects of not assuming the fiduciary duty owed to all statewide beneficiaries. In 1989, the Mississippi Legislature codified its public policy in favor of preserving tidelands and submerged lands in their natural state while allowing the Secretary of State the authority to rent or lease said land. Further, the fund was established to ensure all revenue generated was shared across the three coastal counties to further preserve and protect the Public Trust Tidelands while enhancing public access to the Tidelands. When I took office in 2020, the legal authorities giving the Secretary of State’s Office management and control over the tidelands on behalf of the State were numerous and uncontroversial. They ranged from legislative statutes to judicial cases requiring the Secretary of State to act in the best interests of the public to facilitate greater access and enjoyment of the tidelands. Since then, locally elected judges have led the way in eroding these authorities to allow for increasing private use of the public sand beach, while taking away this office’s ability to manage tidelands for the State’s benefit. Recent events have demonstrated the clash over control of the public tidelands property, the public sand beach, and the collection of related rents. Instead of principled uniform management, this erosion has fractured management into several different bodies, each with its own agenda, creating conflicts within the trust. For instance, the City of Biloxi has assumed the role of issuing private-use leases over the public sand beach in favor of certain new casino developments while providing good-ole-boy lease rates. When compared to the average casino rent paid to the State for the same use, Biloxi’s “preferred” leases have no basis in fair market value and do not go to the public trust tideland fund as required by the legislature. Biloxi is the only beneficiary under this scheme to the detriment of other Coastal cities and the state as a whole. To be clear, the State’s position is not to control development or attempt a land grab. As a matter of fact, proposed legislation my office drafted gave cities even more control. The principles applied have and will always be consistent with the purpose of the Tidelands Act. I whole-heartedly support development, casinos or otherwise, because of the benefits to the Tidelands Fund. Last fiscal year alone, the Tidelands Fund garnered $11,426,985 under my management, and if functioning as originally intended, this amount should only increase. However, should the court system continue to diminish the Secretary of State’s role in safeguarding the public trust tidelands while the legislature remains questionably quiet, Mississippians are well on their way to seeing a dramatic decline in the tidelands fund income used to support public access and management projects across the entirety of the coast. Look no further than the aforementioned article questioning whether the latest summary judgment provides an out for a coastal onshore casino in Biloxi having to pay the statutory in-lieu rents into the tidelands fund. While I do not believe it does, a locally elected judge may disagree, which would result in north of a $600,000 hit to the fund. But where, you ask, would the money go? Ask the City of Biloxi. All of Mississippi should be concerned, and as long as I’m Secretary of State, I will act to uphold my duties as Public Trust Tidelands trustee, but more importantly, follow the law. MICHAEL WATSON Secretary of State State of Mississippi

(Magnolia Tribue) –Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson is taking the “if at first you don’t succeed, try again” approach to a package of campaign finance reforms this session, after a similar effort failed to garner support last legislative session. During a press conference held late last week, Watson said he will ask legislators this year to enact even more stringent reform than last year. This year’s proposal would mandate state, county, and local office seekers to electronically file their finance reports on a user-friendly, searchable data system on the Secretary of State’s website. Currently, candidates can report their campaign contributions via handwritten forms submitted as PDF files. A PDF is far from ideal, Watson said, as some finance forms come in as unreadable. The online system could be up a running by 2026, Watson said, noting legislative approval is needed. Watson did not disclose a price tag for the system, but noted that when the system is operational, candidates would file their campaign finance report with the local clerk’s office and the Secretary of State’s office, which would place the document online. Watson said the Jackson bribery scandal being prosecuted in the state’s capital city “is a perfect example” of how the system is not working. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, who has been indicted by federal prosecutors, has not filed a campaign finance report since 2021, according to his own admission last week. Mississippi Code § 23-15-811 states that persons who fail to file campaign finance disclosures “shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine in a sum not to exceed Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00) or imprisoned for not longer than six (6) months or by both fine and imprisonment.” The statute goes on to note that, “No candidate who is elected to office shall receive any salary or other remuneration for the office until he or she files all reports required by this article that are due as of the date the salary or remuneration is payable.” The law also disqualifies a candidate who has not filed campaign finance reports from the ballot. While Secretary Watson did not mention Mayor Lumumba by name, he did say, “I’ve had a lot of questions about the issue here in Jackson where a certain individual wasn’t filing his reports and wasn’t being caught because there was no mechanism there.” Watson told reporters that cities are to send the campaign finance reports to the Secretary of State’s office. “They don’t, often times. We get them rarely. But it would make that very clean. Everyone has to follow the same system,” Watson said. He told reporters that some at the Capitol have expressed concern that areas in their districts lack a reliable internet connection. Yet, the Secretary said the state has made great strides in connecting its citizens and does not see it as a problem. Currently, campaign finance laws outline that reports must be filed annually by January 31. However, any penalties for failing to file lack teeth. Watson said the new law he’s proposing would impose fines on offenders, and each time a candidate violates the law, the fine will get larger. Secretary Watson said the system would streamline campaign finance reporting. “I think if [candidates] got a statewide system, everybody’s on the same playing field, you’ve got a clear mechanism for enforcement,” Watson said. “Whose job is what? What is the penalty? What is the fee? What is this? It just makes it easier.” “Everyone in state government would be on the same process,” he added. During his half-hour press conference, Watson also addressed election integrity, telling reporters that in their first match with Alabama, some 8,000 double registrants were found. He said these individuals were registered to cast ballots in both states. Mississippi signed memorandums of understanding with Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas to ensure voters were not double registered in those states, the Secretary said. His office is working with Florida and Georgia on similar MOUs. The idea that a person is on the voter rolls in two states may seem minor to some. However, Watson said, “it is illegal.” Original Story

While this year’s legislative session is full steam ahead and our office continues to promote the implementation of new security measures for Mississippi elections, it’s important to pause and provide an update on the status of safeguards employed from previous sessions. Through House Bill 1310 (passed during the 2023 Legislative Session), our office and county election commissioners were provided with definitions for functions and processes we may utilize to conduct voter roll maintenance (VRM) beginning January 1, 2024. Having completed a full year of application, I’m excited to report on these efforts. Working with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, we launched a pilot program in Lafayette County using information from Experian®, which utilizes information from the USPS and commercially available data, to identify voters who have moved from their place of registration. Prior to H.B. 1310, our office solely relied on post office and/or other government data for conducting VRM. Under the new law, counties may use any reliable information available to determine if a voter has moved within or outside of the state. Accessing commercial data, like Experian’s, is the first of its kind in Mississippi. With the success of the pilot program, we are excited to announce we have just signed a contract to institute this new resource in all 82 counties. In an effort to further expand resources without added cost, our team reached out to neighboring states to sign memorandums of understanding (MOU) for data exchanges. Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, and, most recently, Kentucky have all signed MOUs while the data exchange with Alabama has already taken place. In reviewing the data from Alabama, over 8,000 names were found to be registered in both Alabama and Mississippi. While this act itself is not illegal, it would be illegal for one person to cast a ballot in both states. In short, there was the potential for 8,000 illegal votes to be cast. We were able to communicate this information to local county officials to take action. Because many of Mississippi’s local races require plurality, just one vote may change an election. Finally, I want to thank each of you for supporting our office’s efforts to continue securing Mississippi elections. Through your emails, calls, text messages, etc., we are able to voice your concerns when communicating with our state legislature. As a reminder, I encourage you to continue holding elected officials accountable even after the passage of meaningful legislation. Should you have further questions about our efforts, please reach our office at secretary@sos.ms.gov . MICHAEL WATSON Secretary of State State of Mississippi

(The Clarion-Ledger) –Even if the state wanted to bring charges against federally indicted-Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba for failing to submit several campaign finance reports, it likely wouldn’t due to Mississippi’s confusing campaign finance laws. The Attorney General's Office, headed by Lynn Fitch, recently told the Clarion Ledger the state’s campaign finance enforcement laws are confusing, difficult to understand and ultimately difficult to enforce because there are several state agencies involved before the AG can see a case. If that even happens, the punitive measures are minor at best, AG Chief of Staff Michelle Williams said. "The current system for assessing penalties for failing to timely file reports is broken,” Williams said. “It requires work by three agencies — possibly four for a municipal election — and the Attorney General’s Office is in every instance the last step, requiring notification by another agency to trigger our part. In addition, the misdemeanor prosecution and $500 in civil penalties are too light to deter bad behavior. And the many grace periods allowed for curing a delinquent report can push action against a tardy candidate until after the election. General Fitch is hopeful that this year the Legislature will take up the campaign finance reform package she has put forward for the past two years to close the gaping holes in the system, streamline enforcement of its provisions, and improve transparency." While Mississippi's campaign finance laws spell out punishments and penalties for office-holders or candidates who don't file annual campaign finance reports, the laws do not state what official or agency is in charge of holding politicians accountable for failure to file. It begs the question: how are campaign finance laws supposed to be enforced in Mississippi if no one is monitoring to ensure the laws are followed? It's like having laws, but no police force. For Lumumba, the mayor hadn't filed a report since 2021 until the end of January when he submitted reports for 2022, 2023 and 2024 ahead of qualifying for his reelection bid for 2025. For those who hold public office, campaign finance reports are required to be filed annually. The fact that Lumumba hadn't filed a report in three years is a clear violation of state law, but yet he was not investigated, penalized or prosecuted for those missed reports. Moreover, Lumumba's missed reports were seemingly not an issue or even known to the wider public until he was federally indicted on bribery charges in November. Lumumba is accused of accepting $50,000 in bribes disguised as "campaign contributions" from undercover FBI agents. Since then, Lumumba has refused to answer any questions about his campaign finances or why he missed submitting the annual reports, saying only that it is related to his indictment "and so I will not speak to it." According to Mississippi law, two potential routes for prosecution for those who have committed campaign finance violations are through a state district attorney’s office or through the Mississippi Ethics Commission, which then notifies the Mississippi Attorney General's Office. Both are long, winding processes that could potentially take months — an issue the Attorney General's Office has said needs to be corrected. In Lumumba’s case, the District Attorney that could potentially prosecute him for campaign finance violations is Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens — the same man who was indicted along with Lumumba and is accused of helping to facilitate bribes to the mayor and two other members of the Jackson City Council. This would be a clear conflict-of-interest for Owens. His office has also not indicated it is moving in that direction. Jackson, Mississippi Secretary of State spar over who's in-charge of enforcement In a recent statement to the Clarion Ledger, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said his office has “limited authority to impose civil penalties (fines) for failing to file reports,” because the secretary of state's offices' oversight “only extends to state district and statewide candidates and PACs supporting those candidates.” “We cannot impose a fine on a county or municipal candidate,” Watson said. “Actions which can be taken regarding municipal candidates, such as withholding payment or charging with a misdemeanor, can only be made at the city level or by the county prosecutor, respectively. Our office does not have enforcement authority for municipal candidates, but those that do failed to act.” Watson is correct that one penalty for office-holders is to withhold their salary, but the law does not spell out who would be in charge of doing that. It’s unclear if that is a power of the Jackson City Council, which controls the city’s finances, or if that would be another city department. In any case, all city department directors report to Lumumba. After receiving Watson's statement, the Clarion Ledger asked Jackson's Municipal Clerk Angela Harris why Lumumba's missed campaign finance reports for the past three years were never reported to the secretary of state. Harris' municipal clerk office is where all campaign finance reports are submitted in Jackson. Jackson's City Attorney Drew Martin responded in an email that there was no law that requires Harris to report candidates who do not submit their campaign finances, but only that a municipal clerk "forwards copies of all reports it receives to the Secretary of State." Elizabeth Johnson, the communications director for the secretary of state, confirmed that Harris had previously sent in other candidates' campaign finance reports that were submitted. "There is no statute or rule which directs or authorizes the municipal clerk to maintain a list of candidates who do not file campaign finance forms, nor is there any statute or rule which directs or authorizes the municipal clerk to report candidates who do not file reports — not to the Secretary of State nor to anyone else," Martin said. Will Mississippi's lawmakers finally address the gaps in campaign finance laws? For the past two years, both Watson and Fitch have urged lawmakers to pass campaign finance reforms and to add “teeth” to campaign election violation enforcement. In 2024, bills filed to address those concerns died by legislative deadlines. It should be noted that every lawmaker within the Mississippi Legislature — since they are elected officials — is required by law to file annual campaign finance reports. So essentially, campaign finance reform bills are asking lawmakers to police themselves. That being said, this year several reform bills were filed and are being worked through the legislative process. Whether they make it through and become law is still yet to be seen as lawmakers are still working their way through the 2025 session. Both the House and Senate have moved forward legislation to address campaign finances and elections in general. Original Story

As the chief elections officer for the state of Mississippi, Michael Watson is focused on delivering clean elections for Mississippi voters—and confidence in the election process. Turning that idea into action means funding for cybersecurity at the local level, post-election audits (an idea supported by Hillary Clinton and John Podesta prior to 2016), and even a full re-write of election codes to close the loopholes that allowed for ballot harvesting. Learn more about FGA reforms to safeguard our elections here . Original Story

When Secretary of State Michael Watson started studying regulations in Mississippi, he found something shocking: 118,000 regulations on the books, making it one of the most regulated states in the southeast. Here, Secretary of State Watson shares how his office is fighting back, including a frustrating tale about a federal agency standing in the way of a grocery store coming to a small town in Mississippi. Watch to see what he deems “drops of prosperity,” and read more about how FGA is fighting for limited government here . Original Story

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