In-person absentee voting is available for parts of the next two weekends.
Saturday, July 29, is the first of two state-mandated Saturdays when circuit clerk offices around the state must open their doors from 8 a.m. until noon for just that purpose.
Circuit clerk offices also will be open for the same four-hour period on Saturday, Aug. 5, the last day anyone may vote in person by absentee ballot.
Mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, Aug. 8, and received in the circuit clerk's office no later than Aug. 15.
As of July 24, according to data from the Statewide Election Management System, a total of 100 absentee ballots had been requested and sent by the Tallahatchie County circuit clerk's office to those who requested them. Of that number, 41 had been completed and returned to the circuit clerk's office.
The most absentee ballots in Tallahatchie County had been requested from the Charleston District 1 (25) and Charleston District 2 (25) precincts. Thirteen had been requested from the Webb District 5 precinct.
Statewide on July 24, a total of 17,218 absentee ballots had been requested, 16,660 ballots had been sent and 11,313 completed ballots had been received in the state.
"County circuit clerks are consistently receiving requests for absentee ballots and processing those requests. This will cause a difference in the number of ballots requested and ballots sent due to continuous processing," the secretary of state's office noted in a press release.
A list of absentee ballot information for every county in the state is available here.
Mississippians who have requested an absentee ballot may track their ballot here.
Anyone may vote absentee who meets any of the following qualifications:
» 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 to himself, herself or others, or whose attendance at the voting place could reasonably cause danger to himself, herself or others.
» 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 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.
A large slate of state, state district, county, county district and other races will appear on Aug. 8 ballots in Tallahatchie County.
For more information about absentee voting in Tallahatchie County, contact the circuit clerk's office in Charleston at 662-647-8758 or in Sumner at 662-375-8515, or visit the secretary of state's Absentee Voting information page.
