New Mississippi voters hoping to cast a ballot in the upcoming Congressional Primary Election have less than one week to send in their voter registration applications.
Additionally, Mississippians who are already registered to vote, but have recently moved or changed their name, must update their registration information in order to cast a ballot in the correct precinct on Primary Election Day.
Mississippi’s registration deadline is Monday, May 7, 2018, or 30 days before primary polls open at 7 a.m. on June 5. Circuit Clerks’ offices will be open this Saturday, May 5 from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., and until 5 p.m. on Monday, May 7, to accept in-person applications and to receive applications sent by mail, which must have a postmark date of no later than May 7.
“Governance begins at the ballot box when citizens cast their vote on Election Day,” Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said. “I am encouraging all eligible, voting age Mississippians to fill out and file their registration application today.”
A downloadable registration application, which should be mailed or delivered to the Circuit Clerk in the county in which the voter resides, is accessible on Y’all Vote, www.yallvote.sos.ms.gov, the Secretary of State’s new online voter information center.
An individual is eligible to register to vote if he or she is at least 18 years old, or will be 18 years old by November 6 (the date of the General Election); is a Mississippi resident; has not been convicted in a Mississippi court of a disenfranchising crime; and has not been adjudicated as mentally incompetent. Mississippi currently has more than 1.8 million active registered voters.
Citizens who have already registered to vote in Mississippi but moved since the last election or changed their name can update their information online at Y’all Vote. More than 1,500 voters in Mississippi have used the system since it was launched about six months ago.
A voter updating their registration information on Y’all Vote must provide his or her county, name, date of birth, and the last four digits of his or her social security number to locate previously-existing information in the Statewide Elections Management System. The voter must also be located in the Mississippi Department of Public Safety database by providing his or her name, address, date of birth, and driver’s license or identification number exactly as the information appears on the Mississippi-issued license or ID. After the voter’s address or name is updated, the new information is electronically-transmitted to the Circuit Clerk of the voter’s county of residence.
For more information about registering to vote for the first time in Mississippi or changing an address or name as a previously-existing active registered Mississippi voter, visit the Secretary of State’s website or call the Elections Division at (601) 576-2550.
