Mississippi Secretary of State leads voter awareness seminar on the Gulf Coast

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson is touring the state to promote his “voice your vote” initiative.

Watson visited the Gulf Coast on Tuesday at the Knight Nonprofit Center in Gulfport.

The Pascagoula native is making efforts to increase voter registration after describing the overall turnout across the state as “discouraging” in 2022.

The two-hour policy and government seminar aimed to give attendees a better understanding of the ins and outs of the voting process and an overview of how state and local elections work.

Watson said the Coast has had some of the highest voter participation in the state in previous years.

“I think you see a very engaged population here,” he said. “So many things are happening on the Coast. There’s always something new going on; I think that kind of helps gain attention. The Coast is strong right now so having their voice heard even more strongly at the polls is really important for the whole Coast to move the state forward.”

Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes and Pass Christian Mayor Jimmy Rafferty were among those in attendance at the seminar. The event was sponsored by Mississippi Power, Hancock Whitney, and Balch & Bingham LLP.

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