Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers are trying to clarify who can vote in party primary runoffs.

House Bill 1069 says it would be a misdemeanor for a person to vote, or attempt to vote, one party's primary runoff after having voted in the other party's primary.

The bill, which awaits House debate, would put into law what has already been in practice.

State law bans people from voting in both primaries the same day. A longstanding attorney general's legal opinion says the law, by extension, prohibits people from voting in one party's primary and another party's runoff.

The move comes after last year's contentious Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

State Sen. Chris McDaniel, who lost the Republican runoff, questioned whether some people had voted in the Democratic primary and the GOP runoff.