Early signs are pointing toward strong turnout for next week’s elections, according to local circuit clerks.
Pat Stanley, a court clerk with the Lowndes County Circuit Clerk’s office, said 717 voters have cast absentee ballots by mail and in person as of Wednesday morning. The same election in 2014 drew 648 total absentee ballots.
Lowndes County Circuit Clerk Teresa Barksdale said she believes the trend bodes well for Tuesday’s election.
“We’re anticipating very good turnout,” she said.
She said interest seems to be significantly higher than a June election that included a Democratic runoff for next week’s U.S. Senate election and a Republican runoff for the Third Congressional District election. That election drew turnout from only 13 percent of voters.
On Tuesday, voters across Mississippi will cast ballots for the state’s two U.S. Senate seats. Locally, voters will select candidates in the First or Third congressional districts, depending on location, as well as in the 14th Chancery District for three new judges.
Several other elections are on the ballot, such as for the 16th Circuit judge seats and various school board positions in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties. Those races are uncontested.
In Oktibbeha County, absentee ballots have already surged well beyond the total for the same elections in 2014.
Oktibbeha County Deputy Elections Clerk Sheryl Elmore said she’s fielded 916 requests for absentee ballots, both by mail and in-person. As of Tuesday afternoon, 733 absentee ballots had been returned.
The 2014 mid-term election saw 393 total absentee ballots, she said.
In-person absentee voting will remain available through noon Saturday. Circuit clerks’ offices must receive ballots submitted by mail by Monday.
Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk Tony Rook said if absentee voting is any indication, Election Day voting also will exceed 2014 totals.
“We’ve had a huge influx of absentee voters compared to the same election that occurred four years ago,” Rook said. “We do expect a substantially higher turnout for this election.”
Rook said the three contested chancery judge races likely are major contributors to the heightened interest. So too, he said, is the national political landscape, with three federal elections on the ballot.
Rook also mentioned two polling place changes that his office notified voters of earlier in the fall. A voting location at Starkville Fire Station 3 on Garrard Road has moved to Trinity Presbyterian Church at 607 Hospital Road, and the location at the Humphrey Coliseum on MSU’s campus has moved to St. Joseph Catholic Church at 607 University Drive.
Barksdale said there have been no moves in Lowndes County, other than the National Guard Armory precinct returning to its usual location after having moved temporarily to Southside Church.
Rook also said he was grateful for his staff’s work in handling the high absentee voter turnout, while also dealing with a term of circuit clerk.
“Our entire office has been working very diligently the past several weeks,” he said. “They’ve had to balance the influx of voters with a term of circuit court. They’ve all been working very hard and very diligently and I’m very proud of our staff.”
In Oktibbeha County, a polling place locater, sample ballots, chancery court district map, precinct map and information on absentee voting is available under “Announcements” at www.oktibbehacountyms.org.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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