reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MS Code § 23-15-367 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 13 - Ballots|Other Elections|§ 23-15-367. Printing of official ballot generally; order in which titles of various offices are to be listed on the ballot; furnishing of sample of official ballot; alphabetical arrangement in primary elections

  Except as otherwise provided by Sections 23-15-974 through 23-15-985 and subsection (2) of this section, the size, print and quality of paper of the official ballot is left to the discretion of the officer charged with printing the official ballot.   The titles for the various offices shall be listed in the following order:   Candidates, electors or delegates for the following national offices:   President;   United States Senator or United States Representative;     Candidates for the following statewide office: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, Commissioner of Insurance;   Candidates for the following state district offices: Mississippi Transportation Commissioner, Public Service Commissioner, District Attorney;   Candidates for the following legislative offices: Senate and House of Representatives;   Candidates for countywide office;   Candidates for county district office.  The order in which the titles for the various offices are listed within paragraphs (e) and (f) is left to the discretion of the county election commissioners. Nominees of the political parties, qualified to conduct primary elections as defined in Section 23-15-291, shall be listed first alphabetically by the candidate's last name, followed by any other candidates listed alphabetically by last name.      It is the duty of the Secretary of State, with the approval of the Governor, to furnish the designated election commissioner of each county a sample of the official ballot, not less than fifty-five (55) days before the election, the general form of which shall be followed as nearly as practicable.
MS Code § 23-15-369 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 13 - Ballots|Other Elections|§ 23-15-369. Form and substance of proposed constitutional amendment or other public measure

    Whenever a constitutional amendment is submitted to the vote of the people, the substance of the amendment shall be printed in clear and unambiguous language on the ballot after the list of candidates, if any, followed by the word "YES" and also by the word "NO", and shall be styled in such a manner that a "YES" vote will indicate approval of the proposal and a "NO" vote will indicate rejection.   The substance of the amendment shall be an explanatory statement not exceeding seventy-five (75) words in length of the chief purpose of the measure. The statement shall be prepared by the Legislature and included in the concurrent resolution proposing the amendment to the Constitution. The statement shall avoid, whenever possible, the use of legal terminology or jargon and shall use instead, simple, ordinary, everyday language. The Secretary of State shall give each proposed constitutional amendment a designating number for convenient reference specific to the election in which the amendment appears on the ballot. This number designation shall appear on the ballot. Designating numbers shall be assigned in the order of filing or certification of the amendments. The Secretary of State shall furnish the designating number and the substance of each amendment to the circuit clerk of each county in which the amendment is to be voted on.   The full text of each proposed constitutional amendment shall be published by the Secretary of State as provided for in Section 7-3-39, and shall be posted prominently in all polling places, with copies of the proposed amendment to be otherwise available at each polling place.     Except as may be otherwise provided in subsection (1) of this section, whenever any public measure, question or matter that requires an affirmative or negative vote is submitted to a vote of the electors, the measure or matter shall be printed on the ballot and also the words "FOR" or "AGAINST" to be so arranged by the proper officer so that the voter can intelligently vote his or her preference.
MS Code § 23-15-371 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 13 - Ballots|Other Elections|§ 23-15-371. Loss or destruction of official ballots

 In case the official ballots prepared shall be lost or destroyed, the election commissioners shall have like ballots furnished in place of those lost or destroyed, if time remain therefor. If from any cause there should be no official ballots or an insufficient number at a voting place, and not sufficient time in which to have them printed, the ballots may be written; but, if written by anyone except the voter alone for himself or herself, the names of all candidates shall be written thereon, without any mark or device by which one (1) name may be distinguished from another, and the ballots shall be marked by the voter as provided for printed ballots. If the poll manager designated fails to have the ballots at the voting place at the proper time, or if he or she fails to distribute them, the poll managers, or those of them present at the election, shall provide ballots, and select some suitable person to distribute them, who shall take the oath required of the poll managers, and distribute the ballots according to law.
MS Code § 23-15-373 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 13 - Ballots|Other Elections|§ 23-15-373. Report regarding lost ballots

 Within one (1) day after election day, the poll managers shall report to the election commissioners, under oath, as to the loss of official ballots, the number lost, and all facts connected therewith, which report the commissioners may deliver to the grand jury, if deemed advisable.
MS Code § 23-15-375 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 13 - Ballots|Other Elections|§ 23-15-375. Local issues

 Local issue elections may be held on the same date as any regular or general election. A local issue election held on the same date as the regular or general election shall be conducted in the same manner as the regular or general election using the same poll workers and the same equipment. A local issue may be placed on the regular or general election ballot pursuant to the provisions of Section 23-15-359. The provisions of this section and Section 23-15-359 with regard to local issue elections shall not be construed to affect any statutory requirements specifying the notice procedure and the necessary percentage of qualified electors voting in such an election which is needed for adoption of the local issue. Whether or not a local issue is adopted or defeated at a local issue election held on the same day as a regular or general election shall be determined in accordance with relevant statutory requirements regarding the necessary percentage of qualified electors who voted in the local issue election, and only those persons voting for or against the issue shall be counted in making that determination. As used in this section "local issue elections" include elections regarding the issuance of bonds, local option elections, elections regarding the levy of additional ad valorem taxes and other similar elections authorized by law that are called to consider issues that affect a single local governmental entity. As used in this section "local issue" means any issue that may be voted on in a local issue election.
MS Code § 23-15-391 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|General Provisions|§ 23-15-391. Use of optical mark reading equipment or direct recording electronic voting equipment; use of paper ballot for special, municipal or runoff elections when determined to be less expensive

 The board of supervisors of each county and the governing authorities of each municipality shall use optical mark reading equipment or direct recording electronic voting equipment that complies with the specifications provided by law. The election commissioners may conduct special and municipal elections, as well as any necessary runoff elections, by paper ballot when the election commissioners determine that administration of an election by paper ballot will be less expensive than administration of the same election by optical mark reading equipment or direct recording electronic voting equipment.
MS Code § 23-15-503 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-503. Definitions

 As used in this subarticle, unless otherwise specified:   "Optimal mark reading (OMR)" means a method of capturing data electronically into a computer system.   "Optical mark reading equipment (OMR)" means an apparatus that reads pen and pencil marks made in pre-defined positions on paper ballots to automatically examine and count votes.   "Counting center" means one or more locations used for the automatic counting of ballots.   "Marking device" means a pen or pencil that the voters use to record their paper ballots, which is readable by the OMR equipment.   "Ballot" means a paper ballot on which votes are recorded by means of marking the ballot with a marking device.
MS Code § 23-15-505 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-505. Authority to purchase or rent OMR equipment; applicable law

 The board of supervisors of any county and the governing authorities of any municipality are hereby authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to purchase or rent OMR equipment that meets the requirements of Section 23-15-507 and may use such system in all or a part of the precincts within its boundaries. The provisions of this chapter shall be controlling with respect to elections in which OMR equipment is used, and shall be liberally construed so as to carry out the purpose of this chapter. The provisions of the election law relating to the conduct of elections with paper ballots, insofar as they are applicable, shall apply.
MS Code § 23-15-507 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-507. Construction of OMR equipment

 No OMR equipment shall be acquired or used in accordance with this chapter unless it shall:   Permit eligible voters to vote at any election for all persons for whom they are lawfully entitled to vote; to vote for as many persons for an office as they are lawfully entitled to vote; to vote for or against any ballot initiative, measure or other local issue upon which they are lawfully entitled to vote;   The OMR equipment shall be capable of rejecting choices marked on the ballot if the number of choices exceeds the number that the voter is entitled to vote for the office or on the measure;   Permit each voter, in presidential elections, by one (1) mark to vote for the candidates of that party for President, Vice President, and their presidential electors, or to vote individually for the electors of their choice when permitted by law;   Permit each voter, in other than primary elections, to vote for the nominees of one or more parties and for independent candidates;   Permit each voter to vote for candidates only in the primary in which he or she is qualified to vote;   Permit each voter to vote for persons whose names are not on the printed ballot;   Be suitably designed for the purpose used, of durable construction, and may be used safely, efficiently and accurately in the conduct of elections and the counting of ballots;   Be provided with means for sealing the ballots after the close of the polls;   When properly operated, record correctly and count accurately all votes cast; and   Provide the voter with a set of instructions that will be displayed in such a way that a voter may readily learn the method of voting.
MS Code § 23-15-513 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-513. Preparation and delivery of necessary forms and supplies; minimum number of ballots to be printed

  The official ballots, sample ballots and other necessary forms and supplies of the forms and description required by this chapter or required for the conduct of elections with an electronic voting system shall be prepared and furnished by the same official, in the same manner and time, and delivered to the same officials as provided by law with respect to paper ballots that are to be counted manually.   For each primary election, the number of official ballots that shall be printed by each executive committee shall be not less than one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) of the highest number of votes cast in a comparable primary election conducted by the same political party in the preceding ten (10) years.   For each general election, the number of official ballots that shall be printed shall be a number equal to not less than sixty percent (60%) of the registered voters eligible to vote in the election.
MS Code § 23-15-515 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-515. Storage, maintenance, repair and preparation of equipment

 The circuit clerk shall be the custodian of OMR equipment acquired by the county, who shall be charged with the proper storage, maintenance and repair of the OMR equipment. The municipal clerk shall be the custodian of the OMR equipment acquired by the municipality, and shall be charged with the proper storage, maintenance and repair of the OMR equipment. The custodian or the officials in charge of the election shall repair or replace any OMR equipment which fails to function properly on election day.
MS Code § 23-15-517 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-517. Opening and closing polls; instructing voters; spoiled ballots

 At least one (1) hour before the opening of the polls, the officials in charge of the election shall arrive at the polling place and set up the voting booths so that they will be in clear view of the poll managers; the poll managers shall examine the ballots to verify that they have the correct ballots for their precinct and check the supplies, records and forms, and post the sample ballots and instructions to the voters. They shall also inspect the ballot boxes to ensure they contain only voted absentee ballots in their envelopes with the required applications, and then seal the box for voting.   Each voter shall receive written and/or verbal instructions by the poll managers instructing the voter how to properly vote the paper ballot before the voter enters the voting booth. If any voter needs additional instructions after entering the voting booth, two (2) poll managers may, if necessary, enter the booth and give him or her such additional instructions. If any voter spoils a ballot the voter may obtain others, one (1) at a time, not exceeding three (3) in all, upon returning each spoiled ballot. The word "SPOILED" shall be written across the face of the ballot and it shall be deposited into the sealed ballot box. When the polls close once the last ballot has been cast or at 7:00 p.m., whichever is later, the poll managers shall break the seal on the ballot box to process the absentee ballots. Ballots marked as spoiled shall be bundled together and placed in an envelope designated for spoiled ballots. Once the polls have officially closed, the envelope that contains the spoiled ballots and the unused ballots shall be placed in the ballot box or other container provided for that purpose which shall be sealed and returned to the officials in charge of the election.
MS Code § 23-15-519 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-519. Ballot accounting report; tamper-evident seals for ballot boxes; seal log; delivery of ballot box; return of records and supplies

 The poll managers shall prepare a ballot accounting report that documents the number of voters who have voted, as indicated by the receipt book and the number of ballots used in the election. The poll managers shall place the report in the ballot box, with the seal logs, receipt books, absentee ballots, affidavit ballots, challenged ballots, curbside ballots, emergency ballots, spoiled ballots and unused ballots, which thereupon shall be sealed with a tamper-evident seal, which is a seal that has been designed in such a way to allow someone to easily detect any tampering, so that no additional ballots may be deposited or removed from the ballot box. The poll managers, while they have possession of the election materials, and the officials in charge of the election, once the poll managers have delivered the ballot box to the counting center or other designated place, shall be required to keep a seal log to document each time a tamper-evident seal for a ballot box is opened or changed. The seal log shall require the name of the person who opened the seal, the old seal number, the new seal number, the date the seal was opened and the purpose for opening the seal. The receiving and returning poll manager shall deliver the ballot box to the counting center or other designated place and receive a signed, numbered receipt therefor. The poll books and other records and supplies shall be returned as directed by the officials in charge of the election. Failure to strictly comply with the provisions of this section shall not result in a presumption of fraud.
MS Code § 23-15-521 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-521. Testing of OMR equipment

 Before counting the ballots, the election commissioners, or their designees, shall have the OMR equipment tested to ascertain that it will accurately count the votes cast for all offices and on all measures. Representatives of the political parties, candidates, the press and the general public may witness the test conducted on the OMR equipment. The test shall be conducted by processing a preaudited group of ballots so marked as to record a predetermined number of valid votes for each candidate and on each measure, and shall include for each office one or more ballots that have votes in excess of the number allowed by law in order to test the ability of the OMR equipment to reject such votes. If any error is detected, the cause of the error shall be ascertained and corrected and an errorless count shall be made and certified to by the officials in charge before the count is started. On completion of the count, the programs, test materials and ballots shall be sealed and retained as provided for paper ballots.
MS Code § 23-15-525 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Optical Mark Reading Equipment|§ 23-15-525. Authority of Secretary of State and election commissioners for the safe and efficient use of OMR equipment; resolution board for rejected ballots

  The Secretary of State shall have the power to issue supplementary instructions and procedures for the safe and efficient use of OMR equipment within the State of Mississippi and to carry out the purpose of the chapter. Subject to such instructions and procedures provided by the Secretary of State and the provisions of this chapter, the election commissioners shall have the power to make additional provisions for the conduct of elections with the OMR equipment.   If for any reason the OMR equipment shall become inoperable, the poll managers shall direct voters to operating OMR equipment or to cast emergency paper ballots. The paper ballots shall be administered in accordance with the laws concerning paper ballots.
MS Code § 23-15-531 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Direct recording electronic voting equipment (DRE)|§ 23-15-531. Direct recording electronic voting equipment (DRE unit) defined

 "Direct recording electronic voting equipment (DRE unit)" means a computer driven unit for casting and counting votes on which an elector touches a video screen or a button adjacent to a video screen to cast his or her vote.
MS Code § 23-15-531.1 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 23 - Elections|Chapter 15 - Mississippi Election Code|Article 15 - Voting Systems|Direct recording electronic voting equipment (DRE)|§ 23-15-531.1. Minimum requirements DRE systems must meet to be used in elections

  The board of supervisors of each county and the governing authorities of each municipality are hereby authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to purchase or rent DRE units that meets the requirements of subsection (2) of this section and may use such system in all or a part of the precincts within its boundaries. The provisions of this chapter shall be controlling with respect to elections in which a DRE unit is used, and shall be liberally construed so as to carry out the purpose of this chapter. The provisions of the election law relating to the conduct of elections with paper ballots, insofar as they are applicable, shall apply.   No DRE unit shall be acquired or used in accordance with this chapter unless it shall:   Permit the voter to verify, in a private and independent manner, the votes selected by the voter on the ballot before the ballot is cast and counted;   Provide the voter with the opportunity, in a private and independent manner, to change the ballot or correct any error before the ballot is cast and counted, including, but not limited to, the opportunity to correct the error through the issuance of a replacement ballot if the voter is otherwise unable to change the ballot or correct any error;   If the voter votes for more candidates for a single office than are eligible for election:   Notify the voter that he or she has selected more candidates for that office than are eligible for election;   Notify the voter before his or her vote is cast and counted of the effect of casting multiple votes for such an office; and   Provide the voter with the opportunity to correct the ballot before the ballot is cast and counted;     Produce a permanent paper record with a manual audit capability;   Have the capability to print the ballots cast by electors;   Be accessible for individuals with disabilities, including, but not limited to, nonvisual accessibility for the blind and visually impaired, in a manner that provides the same opportunity for access and participation, including privacy and independence, as for other voters. This requirement may be satisfied through the use of at least one (1) DRE unit or other voting unit equipped for individuals with disabilities at each polling place;   Provide alternative language accessibility pursuant to the requirements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and   Have a residual vote rate in counting ballots attributable to the voting system and not to voter error that complies with error rate standards established under the voting system standards issued by the Federal Election Commission in effect as of October 29, 2002.