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Voting in Mississippi
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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.
This article includes the following information about voting policies in Mississippi:
- Voter registration details, including deadlines and eligibility requirements.
- In-person voting details, including identification requirements, poll times, and early voting provisions.
- Absentee/mail-in voting deadlines and rules.
- Details about voting rules for people convicted of a felony.
- Contact information for election agencies.
Click here for more information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, post-election auditing practices, and additional election policy context.
For information on elections happening this year, click here.
Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.
Voter registration
Eligibility and registration details
- 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.[1][2]
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.[2]
In-person voting
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing 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.[3]
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Mississippi requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[4]
As of July 1, 2024, identification used to vote in Mississippi must be an official government document that "has no expiration date or has an issuance date not more than ten (10) years prior to the date" of voting.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive titleClick here for the Mississippi Secretary of State page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information
Voters can obtain a Mississippi Voter Identification Card for free at any circuit clerk’s office in Mississippi. Voters can apply for a card during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Voters who need transportation to a circuit clerk’s office can call the secretary of state’s voter ID toll-free hotline at 1-844-678-6837, visit www.MSVoterID.ms.gov, or email MSVoterID@sos.ms.gov to schedule a ride. Transportation is free of charge.[5]
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Mississippi does not permit early voting. In-person absentee voting is permitted. Click here for more information about absentee voting requirements.[6]
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/mail-in voting
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting
The following types of Mississippi voters are eligible to vote by absentee/mail-in ballot:[7][3]
- Voters who are required to be at work while the polling places are open on Election Day,
- Voters who will be out of town while the polling places are open on Election Day,
- Voters who are 65 or older,
- Voters who have a permanent or temporary physical disability, or
- Voters temporarily residing outside their county of residence
There is no specific deadline for applying for an absentee ballot. However, voters are encouraged to contact their local circuit or municipal clerk’s office to request an absentee ballot within 45 days of the 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.[3][7]
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
In Mississippi, felony convictions of murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, obtaining money or goods under false pretense, perjury, forgery, embezzlement or bigamy disqualify the individuals who commit these crimes from voting for life, according to Article 12, Section 241 of the state's constitution. Those convicted of a felony offense not enumerated in Mississippi's constitution automatically regain voting rights upon completion of their sentence.
For disqualifying felonies, individuals can regain their voting rights by receiving a pardon from the governor or by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Mississippi legislature, as specified by Article 12, Section 253 of the state's constitution.
On July 18, 2024, the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an August 2023 decision by a three-judge panel that held Mississippi's lifetime voting ban for people convicted of certain felonies to be unconstitutional. The full court ruled 13-6 that a portion of Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution prohibiting anyone convicted of a number of crimes from ever regaining the right to vote was not unconstitutional, reversing the 2-1 decision made by the panel. The majority wrote that finding the section unconstitutional "would thwart the ability of the State’s legislature and citizens to determine their voting qualifications, and would require federal courts overtly to make legislative choices that, in our federal system, belong at the State level."[8] See more here.
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[9]
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Mississippi can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Mississippi County Election Officials
Mississippi Secretary of State
- Physical Address: Heber Ladner Building
- 401 Mississippi Street
- Jackson, Mississippi 39201-1004
- Mailing address: P. O. Box 136
- Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0136
- Phone: 601-576-2550
- Toll free: 800-829-6786
- Fax: 601-576-2545
Mississippi Ethics Commission
- Physical Address: 660 North Street, Suite 100-C
- Jackson, Mississippi 39202
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 22746
- Jackson, Mississippi 39225
- Phone: 601-359-1285
- Fax: 601-359-1292
- Email: info@ethics.state.ms.us
- Website: https://www.ethics.ms.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Explore election legislation with Ballotpedia
Try Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation TrackerBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker provides daily updates on legislative activity related to election policy in all 50 states.
Our election policy experts translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries. And because it's from Ballotpedia, our legislation tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan.
Read Ballotpedia's State of Election Administration Legislation ReportsBallotpedia publishes regular analysis of election administration legislation, including three full reports per year, providing ongoing coverage of legislative activity affecting election policy in each state.
These reports deliver insights into partisan priorities, dive deep into notable trends, and highlight activity in key states.
Subscribe to The Ballot BulletinThe Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy.
The newsletter tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's election coverage
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2026
- Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2026
- Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2026
- State legislative Democratic primaries, 2026
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2026
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2026
- Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2026
- Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2026
- Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2026
- State legislative Republican primaries, 2026
See also
- State of Election Administration Legislation Reports
- Voter ID in Mississippi
- Election administration in Mississippi
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Mississippi
Elections in Mississippi
- Mississippi elections, 2025
- Mississippi elections, 2024
- Mississippi elections, 2023
- Mississippi elections, 2022
- Mississippi elections, 2021
- Mississippi elections, 2020
- Mississippi elections, 2019
- Mississippi elections, 2018
- Mississippi elections, 2017
- Mississippi elections, 2016
- Mississippi elections, 2015
- Mississippi elections, 2014
External links
- Mississippi Secretary of Official state election website
- U.S. Vote Foundation election official lookup tool
Footnotes
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Information," accessed July 24, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Application," accessed July 24, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Information Guide," accessed July 24, 2024 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "guide" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Mississippi Voter ID," accessed July 24, 2024
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "HOW CAN I GET A MISSISSIPPI VOTER ID CARD?" accessed July 24, 2024
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information ," accessed July 24, 2024
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed April 30, 2023
- ↑ The Hill, "Court upholds Mississippi voting ban on people convicted of felonies," July 18, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," June 6, 2024
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