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‘Vote In Honor of a Soldier’ Program Launches as Absentee Voting Begins, Voter Registration Deadline Approaches in Mississippi
Jackson, Miss.—The Mississippi Secretary of State’s “Vote in Honor of a Soldier” website, https://www.sos.ms.gov/Education-Publications/Pages/Vote-in-honor-of-a-soldier.aspx, is now live for voters who choose to dedicate their ballot to a soldier or veteran.
The “Vote in Honor” program, initiated in the early 2000s by a prior administration, launches several days in to absentee voting for the November 6, 2018 Election. UOCAVA absentee voting in Mississippi began September 22.
“During the Primary Election, little more than 13 percent of Mississippians turned out to cast a ballot,” Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said. “We have a second opportunity on November 6 to remember the 3,200 Mississippi National Guardsmen and women who are fighting overseas for us to have the opportunity to vote. We hope all Mississippians will take the time to honor their sacrifices and cast a ballot.”
Voters interested in dedicating their vote can visit the website, provide their information, and post a tribute to a soldier or veteran in their lives. In turn, the Secretary of State’s Office will send the voter a letter, Voter Information Guide, and Vote in Honor of a Soldier sticker to wear on Election Day.
Mississippians who are eligible to vote but remain unregistered are also urged to submit their voter registration applications as soon as possible. Monday, October 8, marks Mississippi’s in-person registration deadline, with Circuit Clerks’ offices open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mailed applications must be post-marked no later than Tuesday, October 9.
To register to vote in Mississippi, a downloadable registration application is accessible at Y’all Vote, www.yallvote.sos.ms.gov, the Secretary of State’s online voter information center. The application should be delivered to the Circuit Clerk in the county in which the voter resides.
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 6; 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 to change their address or name since it was launched.
For more information about the Vote in Honor of a Soldier program, 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.
