Despite an abbreviated window for absentee voting for Tuesday’s general election runoff, the number of absentee voters who have cast ballots suggests a good turnout.
Today, circuit clerk offices will collect the last of the mail-in absentee ballots. But as of this morning, 630 residents in Lowndes County and 760 in Oktibbeha County had voted absentee.
The race is headlined by a statewide runoff for a U.S. Senate seat, as well as two local runoffs for chancery court judgeships.
While the absentee vote totals won’t come close to matching the number of absentee ballots cast on Nov. 6 (more than 2,300 in the two counties), election officials say those absentee numbers are strong, considering the compressed time period of absentee voting.
“The numbers blow it out of the water,” said Sheryl Elmore, deputy election clerk in Oktibbeha County. “That’s a really, really, high number for a runoff. Saturday, we had people lined up out the door to vote absentee. I had never seen that before.”
According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office, more than 43,000 voters requested an absentee ballot for the runoff statewide.
Absentee ballots were first available in Lowndes County on Nov. 9 and in Oktibbeha County on Nov. 12. Voters could vote absentee at circuit clerk offices until noon Saturday, but with the Thanksgiving holiday, those offices were closed Thursday and Friday.
All things considered, the number of absentee ballots that were cast set the stage for a good turnout Tuesday.
That’s what happened with the Nov. 6 election where strong absentee voting was followed by turnouts near 50 percent or more throughout the Golden Triangle.
“The absentee voting tells me that tomorrow’s going to be busy day,” Elmore said. “We really expect a good turnout (Tuesday).”
On Tuesday, voters can cast ballots for the U.S. Senate runoff between Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy. Voters who live in the Chancery Judge District 14, Place 1 constituency — which includes part of Oktibbeha and all of Webster and Chickasaw counties — will choose between Rodney Faver and Lee Ann Turner. Voters who live in Chancery District 14, Place 2 — which includes part of Lowndes and Clay counties — will choose between Joe Studdard and Carrie Jourdan.
Voters must present a valid voter ID, such as a driver’s license, student ID or any other state-issued ID.
A chancery district map and more information on absentee voting is available at the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.ms.gov/pollingplace.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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