‘It’s a really big deal.’ Absentee voters hit roadblocks in Gulfport
Antosia Briggs drove 10 hours round-trip to vote in the fall presidential election after her absentee ballot was lost — not once, but twice — in the mail.
The University of Mississippi student is equally determined to vote in upcoming Gulfport municipal elections, although the effort has so far been discouraging.
Briggs’ mother, Denise Briggs, said that she was unable to get accurate information from the city on Monday about getting an absentee ballot to her daughter.
The city clerk retired just as election season was beginning. Two city employees from the finance department have been certified to work the elections and trained by the state, but Denise Briggs was unable to get clear answers when she called Monday about what she needed to do to get her daughter an application that would allow her to vote by absentee ballot.
The employee directed Briggs to an online application, which the city has since removed from its website.
Applications must come from the clerk’s office and include a seal and the clerk’s initials, said Harrison County Circuit Clerk Connie Ladner, an election veteran.
Gulfport’s assistant city attorney, Margaret Murdock, said the online applications were for reference only and have been removed to avoid any confusion.
She said the city will mail applications and absentee ballots to voters who request them.
Briggs talked to a city employee again Tuesday and arranged to get an absentee ballot application sent to her daughter. He said that the ballot would be sent when her daughter returned the application, although the application, ballot and instructions for their return can be sent together.
“It’s important to my family,” Briggs said. “We’re voters. We want our voices to be heard. It’s something we’ve instilled in our daughter.”
“ . . . I shouldn’t be having this hard a time getting my daughter a ballot to do her civic duty. You’re in the middle of an election process. It shouldn’t be that hard.”
Ladner said clerks should mail ballots and applications to residents who call and request them. “You shouldn’t have to do any legwork when you request an absentee ballot,” Ladner said.
For the presidential election, Briggs said, her daughter drove home the day after Hurricane Zeta to vote absentee in person after the ballots she cast by mail failed to arrive.
Briggs went with her daughter to the courthouse the Saturday before election day and they voted together. It was her 20-year-old daughter’s first time to vote, although she accompanied her mom to the polls as a child and learned about the importance of elections.
Denise Briggs was able to vote absentee because she is an educator who will be working election day.
Without an experienced clerk on the job, Briggs hopes Gulfport voters are able to get clear directions from the city for absentee voting.
“It’s really a big deal,” she said. “How many kids have called trying to get an absentee ballot and have been unable to?”
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about absentee ballots in Mississippi:
Who can vote by absentee ballot in MS?
A minority of states, including Mississippi, require an excuse to vote by absentee ballot.
Voters can cast absentee ballots if they are:
- 65 years old or older
- have a temporary or permanent disability
- are commissioned or enlisted members of the armed forces
- are a Mississippi resident living outside the territorial U.S.
- are required to be at work while the polls are open
- will be outside their county of residence on election day
- are a college student living outside their county of residence.
Find a complete list of absentee eligibility here.
How do I vote by absentee ballot in MS?
For municipal elections, absentee ballots must be voted in the city clerk’s office, or mailed from the office to the voter and mailed back to the clerk once completed. State law prohibits hand-delivery of ballots.
You can call the clerk’s office in your city to request that an application and ballot be mailed to you. Instructions on filling out the application and properly securing your ballot in a separate envelope should be enclosed.
Voting by absentee ballot in the municipal clerk’s office is easiest. You can vote weekdays during regular office hours or from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 27, or Saturday, April 3.
A clerk will be on hand to answer any questions and witness your signature when you fill out the ballot application. You can then vote, with your ballot secured in a separate, sealed envelope.
If you mail in your application and ballot, an official authorized to administer oaths, such as a notary public, must witness your signatures. The application and ballot must be mailed to the city in separate envelopes.
A notary public is not required for voters who are temporarily or permanently disabled. Instead, those voters need to have a witness sign who is at least 18 years old.
When is the deadline for absentee ballots?
The deadline for in-person absentee voting is April 3 for the party primaries and June 5 for the general election. Absentee ballots sent in the mail must be postmarked by election day and received within five days of the election.
Who is on the ballot on the Coast?
Mississippi voters, with the exception of specially chartered municipalities such as Waveland, will choose mayors and members of their city’s governing board, which could be a city council or board of aldermen.
Find a list here of Mississippi Coast candidates who have qualified.
When are Mississippi’s 2021 elections?
Democratic and Republican primaries will be held April 6. Winners advance to the general election, when any independent or third-party candidates will also be on the ballot. The general election is June 8. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
