Absentee voting for the Nov. 5 general election looks to be trending toward the second-highest totals ever in Golden Triangle counties.
In Lowndes County, 1,997 voters had requested absentee ballots by midday Friday, with 1,672 of those ballots being cast, either in-person or by mail, according to the circuit clerk’s office.
That’s well short of the record high of 5,021 absentees cast in the county in 2020, also the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deputy Circuit Clerk Ann Marie Higgins told The Dispatch. But with a week to go before absentee voting closes at noon Nov. 2, this year should easily surpass the 2,305 absentee ballots cast in the 2016 general election – which Higgins said is “about average” for presidential years.
In Oktibbeha County, Circuit Clerk Tony Rook said 1,772 voters had requested absentee ballots by midday Friday, with 1,463 of those cast, either by mail or in-person.
Though absentee voting opened Sept. 23, Rook said the last two weeks before the election generally sees an uptick in requests, and those now are coming into his office at a clip of about 150 per day.
Rook estimates the total by the deadline could approach 2,500, less than the nearly 3,500 cast for the 2020 general election but solidly second place.
“Prior to 2020, I don’t think we ever had more than about 1,000 (absentee votes),” Rook said.
Clay County’s story is similar, Circuit Clerk Kim Brown Hood said. As of midday Friday, her office had fielded 1,092 requests for absentees, about 200 short of 2020’s pace at the same juncture. Of those, 951 ballots have been cast, either in person or by mail.
Noxubee County’s circuit clerk’s office did not respond to The Dispatch’s request for absentee ballot numbers by press time.
Any registered voter 65 or older, or any voter who will be away from their county of residence for any reason on election day, can request an in-person absentee ballot, according to the secretary of state’s website.
To vote by mail, a voter must be 65 or older; be temporarily living outside their county of residence; have a temporary or permanent physical disability; be a parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a disability who is hospitalized outside his or her county of residence or more 50 miles of their residence on election day; or be an incarcerated who has not been convicted of a disenfranchising crime.
To request an absentee ballot, contact your county’s circuit clerk’s office.
Who’s on the ballot?
Other than the U.S. presidential race – with seven third-party or independent candidates joining Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump on the ballot – voters across Mississippi will choose between incumbent Republican Roger Wicker and Democratic challenger Ty Pinkins for U.S. Senate.
Congressional, judicial and local races are also on the ballot.
In Lowndes County, ballots include the 1st District congressional race between Republican incumbent Trent Kelly and Democrat Dianne Dodson Black. Two county school board spots, county prosecutor and District 2 county election commissioner are all unopposed.
Some Oktibbeha County voters will vote in the 1st District congressional race, while others will have the unopposed 3rd District Republican incumbent Micahel Guest on their ballot. Voters will decide among three county election commissioner races, with the only opposed race between Dennis Daniels and E. Regina Evans in District 3.
Clay County voters have the 1st District congressional race on the ballot, along with four unopposed election commissioner races.
Races for two state Supreme Court seats and a Court of Appeals seat are all unopposed in Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay counties.
Noxubee County ballots will include a crowded race for state Supreme Court justice, District 1, Position 3, with candidates Jennifer B. Branning, Byron Carter, Creola James, Jim Kitchens and Abby Gale Robinson. Also opposed is the District 5 county election commissioner’s race between John D. Bankhead and Tony Henley.
Unopposed races for 3rd District congressman, a Court of Appeals seat and two other election commissioner spots are on the ballot.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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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 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
