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Primary Election Voter Registration Deadline Approaching,
Absentee Voting Begins Today
Jackson, Miss.—New Mississippi voters hoping to cast a ballot in the upcoming August 6 Primary Election have two weeks to complete and return their voter registration applications.
Mississippians who are already registered to vote, but have recently moved or changed their name, must update their registration information in order to cast a ballot in the correct precinct on Primary Election Day.
Mississippi’s registration deadline is Monday, July 8, 2019. Circuit Clerks’ offices will be open on Saturday, July 6 from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., and until 5 p.m. on Monday, July 8, to accept in-person applications and to receive applications sent by mail, which must have a postmark date of no later than July 8.
Additionally, absentee voting began today, June 24, in all counties. Voters may cast an absentee ballot in Mississippi if they are away from their county of residence on Primary Election Day, temporarily or permanently disabled, over 65, and for a number of other reasons. Twenty-nine ballots requested from active servicemen and women and overseas citizens (UOCAVA voters) were sent out on Saturday, June 22.
“Circuit Clerks across the State were ready to begin absentee voting today,” Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said. “We are encouraging all Mississippians to send in their voter registration applications and prepare to absentee vote or vote on Election Day. If our overseas military can take the time to cast their vote while fighting for our freedoms, we can take a couple of minutes to get in our truck and cast a vote here too.”
A downloadable registration application, which should be mailed or delivered to the Circuit Clerk in the county in which the voter resides, is accessible on Y’all Vote, www.yallvote.sos.ms.gov, the Secretary of State’s online voter information center.
An individual is eligible to register to vote if he or she is at least 18 years old, or will be 18 years old by November 5 (the date of the General Election); is a Mississippi resident; has not been convicted in a Mississippi court of a disenfranchising crime; and has not been adjudicated as mentally incompetent. Mississippi currently has more than 1.8 million active registered voters.
Citizens who have already registered to vote in Mississippi but moved since the last election or changed their name can update their information online at Y’all Vote. More than 2,000 voters in Mississippi have used the system since it was launched.
A voter updating their registration information on Y’all Vote must provide his or her county, name, date of birth, and the last four digits of his or her social security number to locate previously-existing information in the Statewide Elections Management System. The voter must also be located in the Mississippi Department of Public Safety database by providing his or her name, address, date of birth, and driver’s license or identification number exactly as the information appears on the Mississippi-issued license or ID. After the voter’s address or name is updated, the new information is electronically-transmitted to the Circuit Clerk of the voter’s county of residence.
For more information about registering to vote for the first time in Mississippi or changing an address or name as a previously-existing active registered Mississippi voter, visit the Secretary of State’s website or call the Elections Division at (601) 576-2550.
