Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

Mississippi state legislative Republican primaries, 2019

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
2019 Mississippi
State Legislature elections
Flag of Mississippi.png
GeneralNovember 5, 2019
PrimaryAugust 6, 2019
Past Election Results
201520112007
2019 Elections
Choose a chamber below:

The Republican primary elections for the seats in the Mississippi State Senate and the Mississippi House of Representatives were on August 6, 2019. For information about the Democratic primary elections in Mississippi, click here.

The general election was on November 5, 2019. In the state Senate, all 52 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 122 seats were up for election.

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi State Senate as of August 2019:

Mississippi State Senate

Party As of August 2019
     Democratic Party 18
     Republican Party 31
     Vacancies 3
Total 52

Mississippi House of Representatives

Party As of August 2019
     Democratic Party 44
     Republican Party 74
     Independent 2
     Vacancies 2
Total 122


Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election.

In Mississippi, primaries are open, meaning any registered voter may vote in the primary of their choice. State law says: "No person shall vote or attempt to vote in the primary election of one (1) party when he or she has voted on the same date in the primary election of another party."[1]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

All polling places in Mississippi are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[2]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To register in Mississippi, prospective voters must be United States citizens, residents of their county in Mississippi for at least 30 days, and at least 18 years old by Election Day.[3][4]

Registration applicants must postmark or submit an application in person to the local circuit clerk’s office at least 30 days before an election. Mailed applications must be postmarked by this date.[4]

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Mississippi does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Mississippi does not permit online voter registration.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Mississippi does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Mississippi, you must be a resident of the state for at least 30 days.[4]

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Mississippi does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.[4]

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[5] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site Y’all Vote, run by the Mississippi Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Early voting

Mississippi does not permit early voting. In-person absentee voting is permitted, but a voter must qualify. The following types of voters are eligible to cast an in-person absentee ballot:[6]

  • 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 municipality 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 municipality 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 municipality of the spouse's voting residence.
  • Any qualified elector who is away from his or her residence within the municipality 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 residence within the municipality 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 or on-call during the times when the polls will be open.[7]

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

Mississippi requires a voter to have an excuse to cast an absentee ballot by mail. The following types of Mississippi voters are eligible to vote by absentee/mail-in ballot:[8][2]

  • Any person who is temporarily residing outside of their municipality of residence, and the ballot must be mailed to an address outside the municipality.
  • 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 sixty-five (65) years of age or older.
  • Any incarcerated individual who has not been convicted of a disenfranchising crime. Residency of incarcerated individuals is determined by the residence of the person prior to his/her incarceration.[7]

There is no specific deadline for applying for an absentee ballot. Voters can contact their local circuit or municipal clerk’s office to request an absentee ballot beginning 45 days before an election. Completed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received within five business days of the election in order to be counted.[2][8]

Note: Per an October 2024 decision from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, ballots must be received by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted. Litigation in this case is ongoing, see here for more information.


See also

Footnotes

  1. LexisNexis, "Miss. Code Ann. § 23–15–575," accessed September 3, 2025
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Information Guide," accessed September 17, 2025
  3. Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Information," accessed September 17, 2025
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Application," accessed September 17, 2025
  5. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  6. Mississippi Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed September 17, 2025
  7. 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed September 17, 2025