State of Mississippi Elections & Voting

Election Day is November 

• September              First day of in-person absentee voting at the circuit clerk’s office
• October 7                  Deadline to postmark mailed-in voter registrations and to register in person
• November                 Last day of in-person absentee voting at the circuit clerk’s office
• November 5                Deadline to postmark mailed-in absentee ballots
• November 5                Election Day

 

To register to vote in Mississippi, you must be:

• A resident of the U.S., Mississippi, and the county, city, or town for 30 days prior to the election
• At least 18 years old by the next general election day
• Not declared mentally incompetent by a court; and
• Never been convicted of voter fraud or any other disenfranchising crime OR, if convicted, have had voting rights restored as required by law

 

How to register to vote:

• Register by mail: Complete a Mail-In Voter Registration Application. Provide the information requested, including your driver’s license number and/or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you do not provide your driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number, you must send with your application:
  • A copy of a current and valid photo ID; or
  • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address
• Register in person at the following locations:
  • Circuit Clerk’s Office
  • Municipal Clerk’s Office
  • Department of Public Safety
  • Any state or federal agency offering government services, such as the Department of Human Services.
• You must register to vote 30 days before the date of the election.

 

Voter ID Requirements

All Mississippi voters casting a ballot in person at the polls or casting an absentee ballot in the Circuit or Municipal Clerk’s Office must present one of the following forms of acceptable photo ID:

• A Mississippi driver’s license, including driver’s licenses shown in mobile applications
• A government issued photo ID card
• A United States passport
• A government employee photo identification card
• A firearms license
• A student photo ID issued by an accredited Mississippi university, college, or community/junior college
• A United States military photo ID
• A tribal photo ID
• Any other photo ID issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the United States government or any State government
• A Mississippi Voter Identification Card

If you do not present an acceptable form of photo ID or are unable to do so because of a religious objection, you are entitled to cast an affidavit ballot.

Visit VoteRiders for more information on voter ID requirements in Mississippi.

 

Absentee Voting
Voters unable to vote in person on Election Day may be eligible to vote by absentee ballot.

The following categories of people are entitled to vote absentee by mail-in ballot:

• Any person who is sixty-five (65) years of age or older.
• Any person who is temporarily residing outside of their county of residence, and the ballot must be mailed to an address outside the county.
• Anyone who has a physical disability and cannot vote in person without substantial hardship
• The parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside of his or her county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles distant from his or her residence, if the parent, spouse or dependent will be with such person on election day.

If you qualify to vote by mail-in absentee, request an Official Application for Absentee Elector’s Ballot be mailed to you. The bottom part of the application is designated for the witness. All absentee ballot applications have to be signed by an official authorized to administer oath, unless the voter is temporary or permanently physically disabled. Temporary or permanently physically disabled voters may have the application witnessed by a person who is at least 18 years of age.

Upon receipt of your application, your Circuit Clerk will mail you your official absentee ballot within one (1) business day, or a soon as the ballots are ready. The ballot will come with specific instructions on how to vote by mail-in absentee. Next and in front of the witness, the voter properly marks the ballot in secret, the voter will place it in an envelope furnished by the Circuit Clerk. After the voter has placed the ballot into the envelope and seals it, the voter must complete the voter’s affidavit on the back on the envelope and it must be witnessed as required by law.

 

In-Person Absentee Voting

Mississippi doesn’t have early voting available without an excuse. The following categories of people are entitled to vote by in-person absentee:

• Anyone who is 65 or older
• Anyone who is required to work on election day during the times polls are open
• Anyone who is away from their voting district on election day for any reason
• Anyone who has a physical disability and cannot vote in person without substantial hardship
• Students, teachers, or administrators (and their spouse and dependents) who need to be away from their county of residence on election day because of their studies or employment
• A member of the Mississippi congressional delegation or employee of a member of the Mississippi congressional delegation (and their spouse and dependents) who need to be away from their county of residence on election day because of their employment
• The parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside of his or her county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles distant from their residence, if the parent, spouse or dependent will be with such person on election day

To apply to vote absentee, voters need to visit or contact your Circuit Clerk’s Office to see if you are entitled to vote absentee. Absentee in-person voters will need to visit your County Circuit Clerk’s Office to confirm your voter registration and verify your reason for requesting an absentee ballot. If entitled to absentee vote, the Clerk will hand you an Official Application for Absentee Elector’s Ballot.

Once you submit your Official Application for Absentee Elector’s Ballot to your Clerk, your Clerk will provide your official absentee ballot and ballot envelope. Complete your absentee ballot in secret, and place it in an absentee ballot envelope provided by the Clerk. Deposit your absentee ballot envelope containing your voted ballot into a sealed box.

 

Resources

• In-Person Voting Access: An Advocacy Toolkit for Mississippi Organizers
• Guide for Voter Registration Drives in Mississippi
• Become a Mississippi Poll Worker!
• Choctaw Language Speakers Have Voting Rights!
• Native American Voting Rights (NAVRA)
• A Tribal Leaders Guide to Prepare for the Next Election
• Addressing: A Guide for Tribes
• Native Language Speakers Have Voting Rights!
• Examples of Voter Discrimination and Suppression in Indian Country
• Native Americans Depend on Ballot Collection

 

Tribes in Mississippi

Federally recognized tribes

• Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

State recognized tribes

• None

 

Native Vote Coordinators

Sign up to be a local Native Vote coordinator today!

 

Major Party Contact Information

Democrat
Chair, Representative Cheikh Taylor
www.mississippidemocrats.org

 

Republican
Chair, Frank Bordeaux
www.msgop.org