Just seven days remain until Election Day, and Meridian and Lauderdale County voters are encouraged to vote via absentee ballot if they will be unable to get to the polls in person on Nov. 5.
Voters can stop by the Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk’s office, located in the old courthouse at 500 Constitution Ave., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday. In a news release, Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk Donna Jill Johnson said her office will also be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday to give those unable to come during the workday a final chance to vote.
Mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day in order to be counted.
On the ballot will be races for president of the United States, one of Mississippi’s two U.S. Senate seats, U.S. House of Representatives, state Supreme Court and state Court of Appeals. Several local races including three seats on the election commission and two on the Lauderdale County School District Board of Trustees will also be decided this year.
On the presidential ticket, Vice President and Democrat nominee Kamala Harris faces off against former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump. The two candidates will be joined by Jill Stein of the Green Party, Chase Oliver of the Libertarian Party, Randal Terry of the Constitution Party and independents Shiva Ayyadurai, Claudia De la Cruz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Peter Sonski.
Kennedy withdrew from the race in August and endorsed Trump, however his name will still be featured on the ballot.
Another crowded field will be the race for state Supreme Court justice. Incumbent Jim Kitchens looks to defend his seat against challengers Jenifer Branning, Byron Carter, Ceola James and Abby Gale Robinson. The winner will serve an eight-year term.
In the race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo, faces off against Democrat nominee Ty Pinkins. Pinkins, a native of Rolling Fork, is a U.S. Army veteran and civil rights attorney. Senators are elected for six-year terms.
The remaining races feature candidates running unopposed including Rep. Michael Guest, R-Brandon, who is running for another term representing Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District; Jack Wilson, who is running for state Court of Appeals; and Chuck Overby, Awana Simmons and Russell Keene, who are running for Lauderdale County Election Commission in Districts 1, 3 and 5, respectively. Josh Thompson and Brad Pigott will round out the ballot as candidates for county school board seats in Districts 3 and 4.
Tuesday will also feature a special election for voters to select a new Lauderdale County Tax Assessor. The seat was previously filled by James Rainey, who died in February. His wife, Karen Rainey, has been serving as interim tax assessor in his place.
Whitney Hodges, who served as No. 2 under Rainey, is running unopposed for the position.
While Meridian residents are beginning to see signs for mayoral candidates go up around town, municipal elections are scheduled to be held next year. No candidate for mayor will be on Tuesday’s ballot.
5th Circuit Ruling
A ruling Friday by the 5th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals has cast some uncertainty on the future of mail-in absentee voting, but any changes will be made after this year’s election.
Mississippi’s current law allows circuit clerks to count mail-in absentee ballots received after Election Day as long as they were postmarked by Election Day. A panel of three Court of Appeals judges ruled the practice is against federal law.
In a statement following the ruling Friday, Secretary of State Michael Watson, the state’s top elections official, said the court’s decision will not go into effect until Nov. 18. Tuesday’s election, he said, will not be impacted.
“According to Rule 40 and Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, the 5th Circuit Panel’s opinion will not take effect until at least November 18th, meaning this will not affect the November fifth General Election,” he said.
Watson’s office on Monday said the Statewide Election Management System reported 137,686 absentee ballots requested with 136,372 ballots sent. Circuit clerks’ offices have received a total of 119,818 of requested ballots back. The figures include both in-person and mail-in absentee ballots.