Assistant Secretary of State, Elections
The Elections Division has many roles in assuring that Mississippians’ voices are heard clearly
through the election process. These roles include training election officials, collecting campaign
finance and lobbying reports, managing the statewide voter registry, collecting election returns,
and assisting local election officials in carrying out their election-related responsibilities.
The Assistant Secretary of State is responsible for the following:
• Provide legal counsel to the Secretary of State and Elections Division regarding state and
federal election law compliance including:
o Conduct legal research and analyze state and federal election issues
o Draft correspondence concerning election law and/or procedures
o Provide guidance to the public and elected officials regarding election issues
o Consult with other state and federal agencies on election matters
• Provide training to county and municipal election officials each year in the proper conduct of
elections
o Finalize and develop training materials/topics and provide training to election
commissioners, circuit clerks, municipal clerks, and party executive committee
members
o Provide certification of mandated election training
• In conjunction with the Policy & Research and Executive Divisions, recommend and draft
legislation that impacts the statutory duties of the Elections Division; provide responses to
legislative committees or members, as requested.
• Oversee the campaign finance reporting functions of the agency including the continued
development and implementation of a modern campaign finance system and reporting in
accordance with the campaign finance laws of Mississippi.
• Oversee the lobbyist and lobbyist client reporting functions of the agency including the
continued development and implementation of a modern campaign finance system and
reporting in accordance with the campaign finance laws of Mississippi.
• Represent the agency at election-related events
• Coordinate with the Technology Services Division on technical projects and ensuring
cybersecurity standards are established and met for all election related systems and services.
• Coordinate with the Communications Director on press questions regarding elections and
developing communications strategies for election-oriented issues.
• Oversee disbursement of election-related funds: HAVA, Election Support Fund, and any
other funds within the Division or assigned from Federal agencies.
• Propose budgetary needs for the Division and maintain the Division’s financial operations
within adopted budget; implement sound management and oversight to ensure allocated resources for the Division are expended within reasonable expectations of sound, conservative practice.
• Update all divisional publications (examples include, but are not limited to, State HAVA
Plan, Campaign Finance Guide, Voter Information Guide, County Election Handbook)
• Ensure all required division updates, training calendars and publications are provided for the
agency’s website.
• Supervision of all election-related functions and Division Personnel.
• Membership and participation in the National Association of State Election Directors and
Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
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