Miss. Commissioner Inspects Ballots After Apparent Election Loss

A Mississippi Public Service Commission election might not be settled even though Democratic challenger De’Keither Stamps was declared the winner with 50.4% of the vote. The incumbent, Commissioner Brent Bailey (R), intends “to conduct an examination of the ballot boxes, election materials, poll records and any and all other related items from the” Nov. 7 PSC election “for any and all counties within the Central District of Mississippi,” according to a letter he wrote to Stamps Saturday. In an email to us Monday, Bailey wrote that his actions shouldn't be seen as challenging the election. “This is simply following a process and timeline as allowed in state law. The examination reviews how the election was conducted and any examination at the county level is conducted under the control of the Circuit Clerk.” In a Facebook video Monday, Stamps said he is “ready to get to work,” but Bailey wants to “go to courthouses around the state to inspect ballots.” The state’s utility work “is held up because [Bailey] doesn’t know how to lose properly,” said Stamps, asking Mississippians to sign a petition seeking Bailey’s concession. Bailey narrowly defeated Stamps in a 2019 election. Both Bailey and Stamps say they want to ensure all citizens have internet access (see 2311010043).