MISSISSIPPI

State Voting Guide

Registration Deadlines and Election Dates:

Voter Registration Deadline: postmarked or hand delivered by 30 days before Election Day.

2024 Election Information

Voter Registration Deadline: February 12

Voter Registration Deadline: March 4

Voter Registration Deadline: October 7

Voter Registration Deadline: October 28

Official Election Websites:

More election information available at: sos.ms.gov/yall-vote

Mail-in PDF voter registration form available at:

sos.ms.gov/sites/default/files/election_and_voting/Voter_Registration.pdf

Where Can I Register to Vote?

Students have a decision about where to register to vote.

You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family’s home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.

You may only be registered and vote in one location.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?

Mississippi’s voter registration form asks for your Mississippi driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?

Mississippi requires an ID to vote. Acceptable photo IDs include:

A Mississippi driver’s license;
An ID card issued by a branch, department, agency, or entity of the State of Mississippi;
A U.S. passport
A student ID card issued by an accredited college, university, or community or junior college in the State of Mississippi;
An employee ID card issued by the U.S. government, State of Mississippi, or any local or municipal authority of entity of Mississippi;
A Mississippi handgun license;
A tribal ID card;
A U.S. military ID card;
A Mississippi voter identification card.

A full list of acceptable forms of photo ID and a list of accredited colleges and universities can be found at: sos.ms.gov/voter-id/acceptable

Expired photo IDs may be used at the polls if the ID was issued by the federal government or a state government, is not more than 10 years old, and bears the voter’s name and photograph.

Voters without an acceptable form of photo ID may apply for a Mississippi Voter Identification Card at any Circuit Clerk’s office. More information on the application process and required documents can be found at: sos.ms.gov/voter-id/how-to-get.

Where Do I Vote?

Make a plan. Look up your location and polling hours at: sos.ms.gov/elections-voting/polling-place-locator

How Can I Vote?

By Mail: Mississippi requires and excuse to vote by mail. Valid excuses include (1) any person who is temporarily residing outside of their county of residence (the ballot must be mailed to an address outside the county), (2) any person who has a temporary or permanent physical disability and who, because of such disability, is unable to vote in person without substantial hardship, (3) the parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside of his or her county of residence or more than fifty miles from his or her residence, if the parent, spouse or dependent will be with such person on election day, (4) any person who is sixty-five years of age or older.

Mail-In Ballot Applications: Voters must request a vote-by-mail application directly from their circuit clerk’s office. Be sure to carefully read the instructions so that you application is received on time. Applications submitted by mail must be acknowledged by an official authorized to administer oaths, such as a notary. Temporarily or permanently disabled voters’ applications may be witnessed by anyone 18 years or older.
Completed Mail-in Ballot Return Deadline: Completed mail ballots must be returned by mail, postmarked on or before Election Day, and received no later than 5 business days after Election Day. Completed mail ballots must be acknowledged by an official authorized to administer oaths, such as a notary. If you are temporarily or permanently disables, the absentee ballot envelope may be witnessed by anyone 18 years or older.

Early In-Person: Mississippi requires an excuse to vote early in person. The following voters may vote early in person at their circuit clerk’s office:

Any qualified elector who is a bona fide student, teacher or administrator at any college, university, junior college, high, junior high, or elementary grade school whose studies or employment at such institution necessitates his or her absence from the county of his or her voting residence on the date of any primary, general or special election, or the spouse and dependents of that student, teacher or administrator if such spouse or dependent(s) maintain a common domicile, outside of the county of his or her voting residence, with such student, teacher or administrator.
Any qualified elector who is required to be away from his or her place of residence on any election day due to his or her employment as an employee of a member of the Mississippi congressional delegation and the spouse and dependents of such person if he or she shall be residing with such absentee voter away from the county of the spouse’s voting residence.
Any qualified elector who is away from his or her county of residence on election day for any reason.
Any person who has a temporary or permanent physical disability and who, because of such disability, is unable to vote in person without substantial hardship.
The parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside of his or her county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles distant from his or her residence, if the parent, spouse or dependent will be with such person on election day.
Any person who is sixty-five (65) years of age or older.
Any member of the Mississippi congressional delegation absent from Mississippi on election day, and the spouse and dependents of such member of the congressional delegation.
Any qualified elector who will be unable to vote in person because he or she is required to be at work on election day during the times at which the polls will be open.

Qualifying voters may vote early in person at their circuit clerk’s office during its regular business hours and until noon on the Saturday before Election Day, depending on the type of election. Contact your clerk’s office for early voting hours.

For more information about voting early in-person, please visit:

bit.ly/MSAbsenteeGuide

Election Day: Voting sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time, then you must be allowed to vote.

Common Questions/Concerns

Does Registering to Vote Affect my Federal Financial Aid?

Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.

Does Registering to Vote Affect my Status as a Dependent on My Parents’ Taxes?

Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.

Does Registering to Vote impact my Tuition Status?

Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.

Will registering to vote in Mississippi affect my driver’s license or car registration?

As a new resident of Mississippi, you may be required to make changes to yur driver’s license or car registration regardless of whether you register to vote there. For more information, visit the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Mississippi legal professional.

MISSISSIPPI

State Voting Guide

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