VOTER REGISTRATION
Registration Deadline: To vote, you must register either in person at the Circuit Clerk’s or Municipal Clerk’s Office or by mail-in registration application at least 30 days prior to the date of the election. All applications must be postmarked on or before 30 days prior to the date of the election. If the 30th day falls on a Sunday or legal holiday, then both the postmark and in-person deadline is extended to the next regular business day.
Voter Registration Qualifications
Age: Must be at least 18 years old (or will be 18 by the date of the next General Election). Voters who have not yet reached the age of 18 at the time of a primary election may vote in the primary election so long as he/she will reach the age of 18 on before the date of the general election.
Citizenship: Must be a United States citizen
Residency: Must be a resident of Mississippi and the county, city or town for 30 days prior to the election. If you live in an area without house numbers or street names, please include a drawing of your location with the voter registration form to allow your Circuit Clerk to identify your appropriate voting precinct.
Mental Competency: Must not be declared mentally incompetent by a court
Felony Convictions: Must not be convicted of a disenfranchising crime as defined by Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution or by Attorney General Opinion, unless pardoned, rights of citizenship restored by the Governor or suffrage rights restored by the Legislature.
ID Requirements: To register you must have one of the following documents:
Provide 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.
Obtaining a Voter Registration Form
In person:You can register to vote at any of the following:
- Circuit Clerk’s office
- your Municipal Clerk’s office
- Department of Public Safety
- Any state or federal agency offering government services, such as the Department of Human Services
By mail/ in writing: Download the form online and mail it to your Circuit clerk. Keep in mind voters who mail in registrations must present ID the first time they vote.
Verifying Your Voter Registration Status
Online: Check your registration
Phone: Contact your County Registrar's Office
Absentee Ballot Qualifications
Who can vote absentee: Some registered voters are eligible to vote by an absentee ballot because of age, health, work demands, temporary relocation for educational purposes, or their affiliation with the U.S. Armed Forces. Please check with your Circuit or Municipal Clerk to determine if you are entitled to vote by an absentee ballot and to learn the procedures for doing so.
COVID-19 Updated Information for 2020 General Election only: In the year 2020, voters under a physician-imposed quarantine due to COVID-19 or caring for a dependent under a physician-imposed quarantine may request an absentee ballot under the temporary or permanent physical disability excuse, and absentee vote by mail.
Obtaining an Absentee Ballot
If you know you will vote by an absentee ballot, you may contact your Circuit or Municipal Clerk’s Office at any time within 45 days of the election, or access it at this link.
In person: Any person who is eligible to vote absentee may request an absentee ballot in person from their local Circuit Clerk's office.
By mail: Please check with your circuit or municipal clerk to learn the procedures for obtaining an absentee ballot by mail.
Military and overseas voting: Voters included within the Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), such as members of the military and overseas citizens, may register to vote and request an absentee ballot by Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). UOCAVA voters may register to vote using the FPCA up until ten days before the date of an election and may receive and return an absentee ballot by mail, email, or fax. Click here for the Federal Post Card Application and Absentee Ballot Request.
Submitting an Absentee Ballot
Please contact your circuit clerk's office.
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
Polls are open each Election Day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
All Mississippians voting at the polls are required to show a photo ID card. Individuals voting in person by absentee ballot in person in the Circuit Clerk's office are also required to show a photo ID.
Eligible voters casting an absentee ballot by mail do NOT have to show a photo ID. Also, overseas and uniformed military voting by absentee ballot by mail, email or fax do not have to show a photo ID.
For more information click on this link
AFFIDAVIT BALLOT
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.
A voter casting an affidavit ballot because he/she did not present an acceptable form of photo ID based upon a religious objection may not have his/her ballot rejected for this reason if he/she completes an Affidavit of Religious Objection in the Circuit or Municipal Clerk’s Office within five business days after Election Day.
A voter casting an affidavit ballot because he/she did not present an acceptable form of photo ID may not have his/her ballot rejected for this reason if he/she presents an acceptable form of photo ID in the Circuit or Municipal Clerk’s Office within five business days after Election Day.
Additional Information
Deciding how to vote: https://votesmart.org
Getting your vote counted: Should you have any questions about your vote and the practices of voting in Mississippi contact Mississippi's Election Answer line at 1-800-829-6786
Problems with voting: Mississippi HAVA Complaint form.
Verifying absentee ballot status: Contact your local circuit clerk to learn the status of your absentee ballot.
Verifying Polling Place: You can find your polling place here.
