Voting & Elections Toolkits 2022

Deadlines

• Voter registration deadline - for General Election, October 5, 2020   [UOCAVA voters - military and overseas voters] - deadline is ten days before election]  
• Voter registration deadline for primary election in 2021 - March 8, 2021
• Voter registration deadline for general election in 2021 - May 10, 2021
• Election Calendar to 2023  

Online registration

There is no online registration.

Mail-in registration

Refer to the box below for information about ID requirements.

In-person registration

     at: Circuit Clerk’s Office, Municipal Clerk’s Office, or at a Public Service Agency

Updating registration      

To update registration after a move or name change, use the voter registration form.

ID Requirements for Voting

Any one of the following types of photo IDs may be used on Election Day:

1. A driver's license
2. A photo ID card issued by a branch, department, or entity of the State of Mississippi
3. A United States passport
4. A government employee ID card
5. A firearms license
6. A student photo ID issued by an accredited Mississippi university, college, or community/junior college
7. A United States military ID
8. A tribal photo ID
9. Any other photo ID issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the United States government or any State government
10. A Mississippi Voter Identification Card

   Exemptions - Any Mississippi registered voter who states he/she does not have an acceptable photo identification because of a religious objection to being photographed shall be entitled to vote by affidavit ballot without being required to show a photo ID. The ballot will not be rejected for this reason if the voter signs a separate affidavit before the Circuit Clerk within five days of the election. 

          Any registered voter who resides at a state-licensed care facility and who votes in person at a a polling place located in that state-licensed care facility.

FAQ Voter ID

More information

Where to get an ID

Department of Public Safety, Driver Service Bureau

• Locations

Obtaining a Driver’s License

• New license
• Transferring from another state -  out of State driver license/ID cards applicants must bring in the following: a /certified State issued long form birth certificate, original social security card and 2 proofs of residency.
• License renewal portal
• Change your address portal

Identification cards - evidence that may be considered for proof of domicile

Obtaining a non-driver photo ID - at Circuit Clerk offices in Mississippi - call 1-844-678-683  for more information. If you are an eligible Mississippi voter and need transportation assistance, we will provide a FREE ride to your Circuit Clerk's Office to get a Mississippi Voter ID Card. We will give you the names of local transportation providers to contact to make travel arrangements to fit your needs.  A transportation provider will pick you up, take you to the Circuit Clerk's Office and bring you home.  There is NO charge to you for the ride.

Absentee voting

Opening/closing dates

• Absentee ballots for the November 3 general election will be available on September 21. Note: Circuit Clerks' offices will be open on Saturday, Oct. 24, until noon, and on Saturday, Oct .31, until 5:00pm.
• Absentee ballots for the November 3 general election -  deadline for in-person drop-off to Circuit Clerks' office is by Saturday, October 31, 5:00pm  ; ballot by mail has to be postmarked by Nov. 3, and received by Nov. 10, 5:00pm.

Military voters and voters who reside outside the U.S. [UOCAVA]

• Contact your Circuit Clerk to request an absentee ballot (FAQ page) --    list of locations and contact information
• Voter registration deadline is 10 days before election (using Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)).
• UOCAVA ballots must be received by the Circuit Clerks' office - for email and fax,  by Nov. 3, 7:00pm.  For ballot by mail, postmarked by Nov. 3, and received by Nov. 10, 5:00pm the close of the polls on election day in order to be counted.

Who is eligible to use an absentee ballot?

For the General Election, November 3, 2020, voters under a physician-imposed quarantine due to COVID-19 or caring for a dependent under a physician-imposed quarantine may request an absentee ballot under the temporary or permanent physical disability excuse, and absentee vote by mail.

Voters unable to vote in person on Election Day may be eligible to vote by absentee ballot. Most absentee voters must appear before the Circuit Clerk or Municipal Clerk and absentee vote in person. A few categories of absentee voters may request a mailed ballot. Voters, who are required to be at work on Election or will be out of town, must absentee vote in person. Absentee voters, who are 65 or older, have a permanent or temporary physical disability, or are temporarily residing outside their county of residence may absentee vote by mail. Please check with your Circuit or Municipal Clerk to determine if you are entitled to vote by an absentee ballot and to learn the procedures for doing s

Eligible voters casting an absentee ballot by mail do NOT have to show a photo ID

Step-by-step Guide Absentee Guide

Polling places and hours

• Use the Polling Place Locator for Mississippi to find your polling place
• For the general election in 2020, polls in Mississippi are open from 7:00am to 7:00pm.
• Time off to vote: Mississippi  does not require employers to give employees time off to vote.

Rides to the polls

Many organizations offer free rides to polling places. Check your local newspaper or broadcast news station for these organizations.

Help for voters with disabilities

• Voters who require assistance in marking the ballot because of disability, blindness, or an inability to read or write are entitled to receive assistance from a person of the voter’s choice, excluding, a candidate whose name is on the ballot, or the spouse, parent, sibling or child of a candidate whose name is on the ballot, or by a poll watcher who is observing in the polling place on Election Day, or the voter’s employer or agent of that employer, or officer or agent of the voter’s union; unless, however, a candidate for office or the spouse, parent or child of a candidate is related within the first degree to the voter requesting assistance.

Ballots

Where to get more info on candidates - League of Women Voters; local newspapers (daily and weekly)

Initiative ballot, 2020 - for Measure 65A and Alternative Measure 65A

Sample ballots

• 2020 Special election (Sept. 22) - 2 seats in state house; 2 seats in state senate
• 2020 General Election (Nov. 3) - for President,  Senator, House of Representatives, 4 State Supreme Court justices, 1 Circuit Court judge

Who are the candidates, and what else is on the ballot?

• Sample ballot , 2020 General election - President, Senate, House of Representatives, 4 State Supreme Court Justices, and 1 Circuit Court judge
• for the 2020 General Election, Initiative Ballot - for Initiative Measure 65A and Alternative Measure 65A

Important Dates

• Special Election is September 22, 2020 [for 2 state house seats and 2 state senate seats]
• General Election is November 3, 2020
• Primary Election is April 6, 2021
• General Election is June 8, 2021

Who conducts elections?

• The Mississippi Secretary of State's Elections Division trains local elections officials, who run elections in Mississippi, and collects campaign finance and lobbying reports​. The Division also manages the statewide vot​er registry and collects election returns.

Voter Bill of Rights

Where to go with complaints about candidates or how elections are conducted

HAVA (Help America Vote Act) Complaint form - Mississippi

Campaign finance

The Mississippi campaign finance online filing system provides access to campaign finance disclosure reports. This includes reports from political committees supporting or opposing those candidates or statewide balloted measures.

How to contact your elected officials:

Find your elected officials:

   Members of Congress from Mississippi (from Congress.gov)