§ Miss. Code § 23-15-427Inoperative voting machines

In case any voting machine used in any voting precinct shall, during the time the polls are
open, become injured so as to render it inoperative in whole or in part, it shall be the duty of the
manager immediately to give notice thereof to the registrar providing such machine, and it shall
be the duty of the registrar, if possible, to substitute a perfect machine for the injured machine,
and, at the close of the polls, the records of both machines shall be taken, and the votes shown on
their counters shall be added together in ascertaining and determining the results of the election;
but if no other machine can be prepared for use at such election, and the one injured cannot be
repaired in time for use at such election, unofficial ballots made as nearly as possible in the form
of the official ballot may be used, received by the managers and placed by them in a receptacle
in such case to be provided by the managers, and counted with the votes registered on the voting
machine; and the result shall be declared the same as though there had been no accident to the
voting machine; the ballots thus voted shall be preserved and returned as herein directed, with a
certificate or statement setting forth how and why the same were voted.