JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
If you stood in long lines to vote Election Day, you were not alone. The Mississippi Secretary of State's office says Tuesday's election brought record numbers to the polls.
There were several groups out watching this election as it happened, documenting issues across the state. In Hinds County, it was names missing off voter rolls that caused the greatest concern.
Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson registered thousands of voters prior to the election, but when many got to the polling place Tuesday, their names were nowhere to be found on the voter rolls.
"There's some residual questions in Hinds County as to why individuals, so many individuals were knocked off the poll books during an election year that was so important," Johnson said. "In fact, in my precinct, I was not on the poll books and I've never missed an election."
Johnson says he has concerns about the statewide database that tracks all the names for county election commissioners, who also witnessed names disappearing on election day.
"Every voter that's put on is put on in the Circuit Clerks office," said Hinds County Election Commissioner Connie Cochran. "The Election Commission maintains the voter rolls. There's no reason why they shouldn't have been printed."
More than 50 people were forced to vote affidavit ballot at the Christ United Methodist Church precinct.
Derrick Johnson says there were also reports of violations of Mississippi's no ID requirement, all of which have been catalogued and will be made public in the near future.
"We're going to be issuing a report cataloging the numerous calls we received identifying the problems areas across the state, and to make some recommendations on how we can administrate the election process in a way which all voters will have a right to cast their ballot," Johnson said.
There were also concerns from voters in extreme northeast Hinds County. They say they weren't notified when Congressional district lines were moved.
Those who voted at Christ United Methodist church say Congressman Greg Harper was their candidate but they could only vote for Bennie Thompson.
All district maps we found show it's Congressman Harper's District east of Pear Orchard Road.
Greg Harper's representatives said they thought that area was now Congressman Thompson's.
Stay tuned to WLBT as we work to get to the bottom of that issue.
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