Deliberate, because the mistake does not work in their favor.
According to the sample ballot approved in September by the governor and secretary of state, the two proposed constitutional amendments should be clearly differentiated on the ballot. The options for voters who vote to change the state constitution should read “FOR Initiative Measure No. 42” and “FOR Alternative Measure No. 42 A,” the two dueling education initiatives.
However, the ballot sent to absentee voters in Hinds County leaves out the last “A” in “FOR Alternative Measure 42 A,” leading to concerns that voters intending to vote for Initiative 42 could accidentally vote for Initiative 42A instead.
525 ballots have been sent out to Hinds County voters as of Tuesday, according to the circuit clerk's office.
- Secretary of State spokeswoman Pamela Weaver said the correct sample ballot was made available to all counties.
"The State Board of Election Commissioners approved the correct sample ballot and made the correct ballot available in the Statewide Election Management System for use by all counties," Weaver said in a statement. "Hinds County is an opt out county. The Secretary of State's Office has no oversight in the formulation of its ballot."
Hinds County Election Commission Chair Connie Cochran said the company the county uses for elections sent the incorrect ballots back to the county and the commission overlooked the errors.
Kathy Rogers, senior vice president of Election Systems and Software, echoed Cochran.
"When ESS was working on the verbage for that initiative, we made a mistake in the wording, and when we sent that to the county for proofing they didn't catch the mistake," Rogers said. " ... We do take responsibility." [SOURCE: Clarion Ledger]
On the FaceBook group Pay Raise for Mississippi Teachers (with over 38,000 "Likes") they are charging the mistake was deliberate:
- Don't believe opponents of Initiative 42 won't stoop to any dirty trick to try and defeat it? Here is the Hinds County absentee ballot, deliberately printed to trick voters into not voting for 42. Folks, we are seeing acts of deceit and outright lies that rival those of decades past! This is how you know you are winning, when they try to cheat...don't given in and don't back off now! Support Initiative 42!
