VOTER REGISTRATION

Registration Deadline: Voters must register at least 30 days prior to the election in which they wish to vote. Mail in applications may be postmarked 30 days before the election.

Party Affiliation: Party registration not required top vote in primary elections. However, voters must vote for a single party for both the initial primary and any run offs resulting from that primary. 


VOTER REGISTRATION QUALIFICATIONS
Age: Must be at least 18 years old on Election day

Citizenship: Must be a United States citizen

Residency: Must be a resident of the state and have lived in your city or town for at least 30 days prior to Election Day

Mental Competency: Must be declared mentally competent

Felony Convictions: Must not have been convicted of any crime listed in section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution(murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, obtaining money or goods under false pretense, perjury, forgery, embezzlement, or bigamy)

ID Requirements: To register you must have one of the following: 
   -driver's license
   -social security number;
   -copy of a current and valid photo ID;
   -copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter.


OBTAINING A VOTER REGISTRATION FORM

Online: Mississippi voter registration application

In person:You can register to vote at any of the following:
   - Circuit Clerk’s office
   - your Municipal Clerk’s office
   - when you get your driver’s license at the Department of Public Safety

By mail/ in writing: Download the form online and mail it to your Circuit clerk. Keep in mind voters who mail in registrations must present ID the first time they vote. 

By fax: Send fax correspondence to 601-576-2545


VERIFYING YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS

Phone: Contact your County Registrars Office


ABSENTEE BALLOT QUALIFICATIONS

Who can vote absentee: Mississippi law provides twelve reasons registered voters may apply for an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots are available prior to Election Day for:
   -Members of the Armed Forces or their spouses and/or dependents;
   -Members of the Merchant Marines or the American Red Cross, or their spouses and/or dependents;
   -Disabled war veterans who are patients in any hospital, or their spouses and/or dependents;
   -Civilians attached to any branch of the Armed Forces, the Merchant Marines, or the American Red Cross and serving outside the United States, or their spouses and/or dependents;
   -Persons temporarily residing outside the territorial limits of the United States and the District of Columbia;
   -Students, teachers, or administrators whose employment or studies necessitate their absence from their county of voting residence, or their dependent or spouse who maintains a common domicile outside the county of voting residence;
   -Persons who will be outside their county of residence on election day;
   -Persons required to be at work on election day during the times at which the polls will be open;
   -Persons temporarily or permanently physically disabled;
   -Persons sixty-five years of age or older;
   -Parents, spouses or dependents of persons having a temporary or permanent physical disability who are hospitalized outside their county of residence or more than fifty miles away from their residence if the parents spouses, and/or dependents will be with such persons on election day;
   -Members of the Mississippi Congressional delegation, or their spouses and/or dependents.


OBTAINING AN ABSENTEE BALLOT

Online: Mississippi does not make absentee ballot forms available online. 

In person: Any person who is eligible to vote absentee may request an absentee ballot in person from their local Circuit Clerk's office. 

By mail: Requesting a ballot by mail is limited to only those registered voters temporarily residing out of the county of their residence, persons having temporary or permanent physical disability, persons who are 65 years of age or older, or any person who is the parent, spouse, or dependent of a temporarily or disabled person who is hospitalized outside of their county of residence or more than 50 miles away from his residence. Absentee voters requesting an absentee ballot through the mail are required by Mississippi law to have their application notarized unless their reason is a temporary or permanent disability, in which case, the application must only be witnessed by an individual who signs, prints their name and provides an address on the official ballot return envelope. 

Military and overseas voting: The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) provides for certain provisions to assist voters in these categories to receive and return their absentee ballot in time to be counted on election day. More information for Military and Overseas Voters.


SUBMITTING AN ABSENTEE BALLOT

Location and time: Mississippi law allows absentee electors to either cast their ballot inside the Circuit Clerk's office in advance of Election Day or cast their ballot away from the office (notarized and signed by an attesting witness) and mailed to the Clerk's office. Absentee ballots submitted by mail must be received by the registrar by 5:00 p.m. on the date before Election Day. All ballots cast by the absentee voter appearing in person in the office of the registrar must be cast no later than 12:00 noon on the Saturday immediately preceding elections held on Tuesday. 

Other absentee ballot submission information: Unless the individual claims a temporary or permanent disability, all absentee ballots must be witnessed by an individual over the age of 18 years old. There is no legal limit in Mississippi on the number of absentee ballots or ballot applications an individual may witness. 


EARLY VOTING

Early voting qualifications: Qualified Absentee voters may cast their ballots in person before the election. However, early voting for non-absentee voters is not available. 


QUALIFICATIONS

Verifying Registration: Contact your County Registrars office

Deciding how to vote: http://www.votesmart.org/

Time off to vote: Time off to vote is subject to the employer. Mississippi law does not require employers to grant time off to vote for employees.

Polling Place: Mississippi Polling Place Finder

ID Requirements:
First time, mail-in, unverified registrants must show ID the first time they go to the polls, any of the following are accepted:
   - A copy of current valid photo identification
   - A copy of a current utility bill
   - Bank statement
   - Government check paycheck
   - Other government document that shows your name and address

How to Vote: Mississippi voting information guide or see an online demonstration of how to use Mississippi voting machines. 

Getting your vote counted: Should you have any questions about your vote and the practices of voting in Mississippi contact Mississippi's Election Answerline at 1-8000-829-6786

Problems with voting: Mississippi HAVA complaint form

Verifying provisional ballot status: Provisional ballots are available in select precincts. Contact your local circuit clerk for information on provisional ballots.

Verifying absentee ballot status: Contact your local circuit clerk to learn the status of your absentee ballot.