Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the sentencing of Bobbie Jean Peoples of Greenwood, Mississippi, for one count of Transmission of a Ballot Mailed to Another. This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Mississippi Attorney General's Office.
“Free and fair elections are a pillar of our democracy,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “Ballot harvesting undermines trust in the fairness of our elections and we must be vigilant to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.”
In July 2023, Peoples knowingly collected and transmitted a ballot mailed to another person when she was not authorized by law to do so. On December 2, 2025, Leflore County Justice Court Judge Jim Campbell sentenced Peoples to six months in the custody of Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), with time suspended, and a fine of $2,718.75.
During the 2025 Legislative Session, Attorney General Fitch worked with Representative Noah Sanford to pass legislation to strengthen Mississippi’s ballot harvesting laws, making it a criminal offense to harvest an absentee ballot with the intent of not having it counted in the election. H.B. 724 was signed into law on March 21, 2025.
