Ahead of special legislative elections happening in November, the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office announced Monday that in-person and mail-in absentee ballots are now available at local circuit clerk offices.
Primary races were held in August after a federal panel of judges ordered the state to redraw House districts in the Chickasaw County area, along with Senate districts in the Hattiesburg and DeSoto County areas, that were diluting Black voting power.
Add in a House seat left vacant by now-Clarksdale Mayor Orlando Paden, a Senate seat left vacant by now-Jackson Mayor John Horhn, and a Senate seat left vacant by David L. Jordan, of Greenwood, and a total of 17 legislative seats will be up for grabs. Races for some local positions are also happening, as well.
Those looking to vote absentee this year are encouraged to utilize the Secretary of State’s Y’all Vote website, which includes answers to frequently asked questions, an eligibility verification tool, a step-by-step guide on how to vote absentee, and sample ballots based on a voter’s address. Eligible reasons for absentee voting include, but are not limited to, being out of town on Election Day, living with a disability, or being older than 65.
Circuit clerk offices will be open from now until Saturday, Nov. 1, during normal business hours for in-person absentee voters. Saturday voting will be open from 8 a.m. until noon on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1.
The mail-in absentee process is also open. For those voting by mail, ballots must be postmarked on or before the election date of Nov. 4.
Mississippians who are currently registered to vote or submit voter registration applications by Oct. 6 are entitled to cast a ballot in the Nov. 4 election.
