Absentee voting is underway in the 2024 general election set for Nov. 5. Residents needing to vote absentee have until Nov. 2 for in-person voting, and mail in absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
Secretary of State Michael Watson on Monday announced 38,875 absentee ballots have been requested so far, and a 36,539 ballots have been sent. Of those sent out, 23,434 absentee ballots have been returned.
On the ballot this year are Mississippi residents’ federal delegates, including president and vice president, one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats and all four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
For Meridian and Lauderdale County voters, incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker will be on the ballot alongside challenger Ty Pinkins in the Senate race, while Rep. Michael Guest, who represents Mississippi’s third congressional district, will appear unopposed for reelection to the House.
In state district races, local voters will have a choice between five candidates vying for a seat on the state Supreme Court. Current Justice Jim Kitchens is running for reelection and faces challenges from Jenifer Branning, Byron Carter, Ceola James and Abby Gale Robinson.
The winner of the race will serve an eight-year term.
On the state Court of Appeals, Jack Willson is running unopposed for another term.
While many of Lauderdale County’s elected officials were selected last year, and municipal elections are slated for 2025, there will still be several local races featured on the ballot.
Whitney Hodges, a longtime deputy tax assessor, is running unopposed for the seat of Lauderdale County Tax Assessor. She will replace Tax Assessor James Rainey who died in February shortly after being reelected.
Three of the county’s five election commission seats will also be on the ballot in November. District 1 Commissioner Chuck Overby and District 3 Commissioner Awana Simmons are both running for reelection unopposed. In District 5, Russell Keene is also running without a challenger.
Rounding out the ballot will be two seats on the Lauderdale County School District Board of Trustees. Josh Thompson, from District 3, and Brad Piggot, from District 4, are both running unopposed.