Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk Donna Jill Johnson is joining her fellow circuit clerks throughout the state in encouraging voters to check their calendars and plan to vote via absentee ballot if they will be unable to go to the polls on Nov. 5.
Mississippi does not have early voting but does allow residents to cast absentee ballots in the event they will not be in town or otherwise unable to vote in person on Election Day. In a news release, Johnson said there are several common reasons voters may need to vote via absentee ballot, including college students who will be away from home, truck drivers and railroad workers whose duties will take them out of town on Nov. 5, and those working further away and unable to get to the polls between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Secretary of State Michael Watson’s office on Monday said its Statewide Election Management System has reported 86,525 absentee ballots requested so far. Of those, 84,636 have been sent and 67,802 have been received back by circuit clerks. The numbers include both in-person absentee ballots and those sent by mail.
In addition to its normal hours, 8 am. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Johnson said her office will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 26, to give residents unable to come during the week a chance to vote. The circuit clerk’s office is located in the old county courthouse at 500 Constitution Ave.
This year is a federal election cycle, and local voters will join others nationwide in casting their ballots for president of the United States. On the ballot will be former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump and Vice President and Democrat nominee Kamala Harris as the two front runners.
Also appearing in the presidential race will be Libertarian Chase Oliver, Green Party’s Jill Stein, Mississippi Constitution Park’s Randall Terry and Independents Shiva Ayyadurai, Claudia De la Cruz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Peter Sonski.
Also on the ballot, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo, is running for reelection against Democrat challenger Ty Pinkins, a native of Rolling Fork. Mississippi’s four U.S. House of Representatives seats are also up for reelection, with Rep. Michael Guest, of the 3rd Congressional District, running unopposed.
Voters will also need to navigate a crowded field of contenders for a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court. Incumbent Justice Jim Kitchens is running for reelection against Jenifer Branning, Byron Carter, Ceola James and Abby Gale Robinson.
Local candidates also include Whitney Hodge, who is running for Tax Assessor, Chuck Overby, Awana Simmons and Russell Keen running for election Commission and Josh Thompson and Brad Pigott running for seats on the Lauderdale County School Board. Hodge will be the only candidate to appear on all county ballots, with other races limited to the district candidates are running to represent.
All six candidates are running unopposed.