There’s just two weeks left to vote absentee in the special election for the District 41 state representative seat.
Incumbent Rep. Kabir Karriem faces Pierre Beard, former Ward 4 Columbus Councilman, in the Democratic primary election. No Republican is running, so the primary winner will take the seat.
The deadline to submit an absentee ballot in person for the primary race is noon Aug. 2. Mail-in absentee ballots must be post marked by or before Aug. 5 and must be received by the county no later than Aug. 12.
Lowndes County Deputy Circuit Clerk Ann Marie Higgins said 53 absentee ballots have been returned so far, out of a total 78 absentee ballots requested.
Higgins said the number of absentee ballots requested for the election is on par with the county’s expectations.
“For normal elections, that would be really low, but considering it’s a special race, this is about what we expected,” Higgins said.
The circuit clerk’s office will be open for in-person absentee voting from 8 a.m. to noon on July 26 and August 2.
The special election comes after a panel of federal judges ordered the Mississippi Election Commission to redraw select legislative districts after ruling the 2022 maps diluted Black voting power in DeSoto and Chickasaw counties. As a result, other counties saw a change in district lines as well, including House Districts 39 and 41 in the Golden Triangle.
The redrawn House map was approved in April, and the federal judges ordered more than a dozen special elections to take place in November.
In District 39, incumbent Republican Dana McLean is running unopposed.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
