Supreme Court Denies McDaniel Request

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The Mississippi Supreme Court says circuit clerks must redact voters’ birthdates before poll books are open for public inspection.

The ruling Thursday is a blow to state Sen. Chris McDaniel’s effort to examine voting materials as he seeks evidence of improper voting to challenge his loss to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in the June 24 Republican primary runoff.

McDaniel’s attorneys say they need to see dates of birth and other identifying information so they can tell the difference between voters with similar names.

Certified results show Cochran won by 7,667 votes.

Justices held that poll books are controlled by the state Public Records Act, which specifies that Social Security numbers, telephone numbers, dates of birth and age information must be redacted before the public can examine certain documents.