After billions of dollars spent on trying to sway public opinion about who should be the next president of the United States, the voters now get a final word during today's Nov. 5 general election.
Polls are open until 7 p.m., and anyone standing in line waiting to vote at 7 p.m. may cast a ballot.
Local voters will use an ink pen to mark their selections on a paper ballot, which then will be placed into a scanner. The paper ballot is a throwback but provides an enhanced paper trail.
The ballot features nine presidential hopefuls.
In addition to the major-party presidential candidates, Democrat Kamala D. Harris and Republican Donald J. Trump, today's ballot features seven others, including independent Robert F. Kennedy, who withdrew from the race and threw his support behind Trump.
Other listed candidates for president are the Libertarian Party’s Chase Oliver, the Green Party’s Jill Stein, the Constitution Party’s Randall Terry, and independent hopefuls Shiva Ayyadurai, Claudia De la Cruz and Peter Sonski.
Also on all local ballots will be races for:
» U.S. Senate, featuring longtime incumbent Roger F. Wicker, a Republican, and Democrat Ty Pinkins
» U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd Congressional District, featuring longtime Democratic incumbent Bennie G. Thompson and Republican Ron Eller
» Supreme Court Justice District 3 (Northern) Position 1, featuring an unopposed Robert P. “Bobby Chamberlin
» Supreme Court Justice District 3 (Northern) Position 2, with the unopposed Jimmy Maxwell
» Court of Appeals District 2, Position 2, featuring only Latrice Westbrooks
» A special election for Tallahatchie County prosecuting attorney, featuring an unopposed Lance Dahl Tennyson
Other races appearing on some ballots in Tallahatchie County will be:
» Levee Board, Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee District, featuring unchallenged longtime Democratic incumbent Benjamin “Sykes” Sturdivant
» A special election for justice court judge in Tallahatchie County’s 1st Judicial District, featuring independent candidates Tara L. Lang and Shannon van der Poel
» A special election for constable in Tallahatchie County’s 2nd Judicial District, with appointed incumbent Sharon Elaine Bailey and Frank Chambers
» Election commissioner in District 1, where incumbent Margaret McIntyre Simmons faces a challenge from Damon Stroud
» Election commissioner in District 3, where incumbent Yolanda D. Cotton is unopposed
» Election commissioner in District 5, where incumbent Charles Huddleston is unopposed
» A special election for Education District 3, a seat on the West Tallahatchie School District Board of Trustees, featuring newcomers Gloria Madden Carter and Roberta Levettie Redd
» Education District 9, a seat on the East Tallahatchie School District Board of Trustees featuring longtime incumbent Darrell W. Neal and challengers Verry “Vera” Gary and Robin L. Hodges
To see your personalized ballot, visit the Mississippi secretary of state’s website at https://www.sos.ms.gov/yall-vote; click on the “My Election Day” button (center column, third from top); enter your Zip code and official residential address; hit “Search”; and under “Election Resources,” click on “View Sample Ballot.”
