Mississippi Today

State Senate candidate admittedly voted outside her home precinct. Some say she broke the law.

Published

2 years ago

July 25, 2023

TUPELO — A Republican candidate for the state Legislature might have publicly admitted to skirting the state’s election laws by voting in a city where she didn’t actually live, according to her opponent and an election attorney.

Lauren Smith, a candidate in the GOP primary for Senate District 6 in Lee County, testified before the Mississippi Republican Party Executive Committee in a Feb. 16 hearing that she has lived in the northern Mississippi town of Saltillo since at least 2018.

However, she voted at a Tupelo business address for part of that time.

“I want to point out that I might have used the address to vote outside of my district, but it was merely a place of convenience,” Smith said. “It was where we had a sawmill, we had our place of business.”

Her comments surfaced after the district’s incumbent senator, Chad McMahan, attempted to kick her off the primary ballot. In a petition he filed earlier this year, McMahan claimed Smith did not meet the statutory requirements to live within the district at least two years before this year’s November general election.

As part of his evidence, McMahan and his attorney pointed out that Smith used the Tupelo address, located in a different Senate district, to vote in the 2020 presidential election and the 2022 congressional primary election. Still, Smith, at the hearing, insisted she lived in Saltillo during that time.

“It was stated in the challenge that I need to prove unequivocally that I had been a resident there since only November of 2021,” Smith said of her Saltillo address. “I took it a step further and went to the steps of proving my residence all the way to 2018 should someone want to see them.”

Mississippi Today obtained Smith’s voting record from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office through a public records request. It showed that on Oct. 29, 2020, she moved her voter registration status from Nettleton to Tupelo.

Those same records show that she voted in two elections with the Tupelo address, and on Oct. 4, 2022, she moved her registration from Tupelo to Saltillo, where she is currently registered.

Despite her Tupelo voting history, the Republican Party’s executive committee, whose sole job was to examine her residency, ultimately sided with Smith, believing she had enough documentation showing she had at least lived at her Saltillo address for two years.

McMahan did not appeal the committee’s ruling to the state court system, but the executive committee recorded the hearing and submitted it as a public court filing in a separate election challenge. Mississippi Today obtained the video from the court record.

“When I look at the evidence of my opponent and see she’s been voting out of district due to convenience for several years, I’m convinced that she’s committed voter fraud during multiple election cycles,” McMahan told Mississippi Today.

Smith adamantly rejects the allegation that she’s committed voter fraud or violated any of the state’s election laws, though she does not dispute she voted under the Tupelo address while she lived in Saltillo.

“I committed no fraud, and I committed no crime,” Smith told Mississippi Today, adding that she believes the allegations against her are a “headhunt” from McMahan.

State law requires Mississippians to register to vote in the precinct of where they live, and section 97-13-5 of the Mississippi Code states anyone “who shall vote out of the district of his legal domicile” shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned in the county jail for no more than one year or be fined no more than $1,000, or both.

Sam Begley is a Jackson-based attorney who has represented dozens of candidates in elections challenges for several years. He told Mississippi Today that state law clearly states voters are required to register using their home address.

“She’s claiming her legal domicile is that Senate district she’s running in, but she’s voted outside of that legal domicile,” Begley said. “That appears to be a clear violation of 97-13-5.”

Several prosecuting agencies could, in theory, probe if Smith potentially violated a statute, but the most direct way for an investigation to commence is for McMahan or another witness to her February comments to file an affidavit in justice court or county court, which they haven’t done.

The primary election between Smith and McMahan will take place on Aug. 8.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

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Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.