MS HB854

Requires absentee ballots to be kept in the registrar's office until the close of regular balloting and polls, rather than being counted at individual precincts.

Establishes that examination and counting of absentee ballots shall be conducted in the registrar's office by a resolution committee appointed by election commissioners during general elections and by the executive committee during primary elections.

For elections using direct recording electronic voting systems, absentee ballot envelopes marked "ACCEPTED" are transferred to the county central tabulation point for opening and processing through an optical scanner.

Creates a rebuttable presumption that paper records are correct when there is a conflict between electronic voting systems and paper records.

Requires submission of the act to the U.S. Attorney General or U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, with effectiveness contingent upon approval under Section 5 of that Act.