Today, it's Mississippi's turn to vote

Election officials say they're as ready as they can be as one of the wildest presidential primary seasons arrives in Mississippi on Tuesday.

The poll workers have all their supplies at the precincts and "everything is ready to go," said Circuit Clerk Connie Ladner in Harrison County.

She said both the Republicans and Democrats are hoping for a big turnout.

"Even though we're not a Super Tuesday state, it's still our day to vote for president," she said.

First the good news. The weather should be fairly nice: a high in the lower 70s and mostly cloudy with little chance of rain.

Quite a contrast to the blustery campaign. The Republican side has been particularly rambunctious with businessman/reality TV star Donald Trump running as an outsider against the GOP establishment. Sen. Ted Cruz, also claiming the outsider label, pitches himself as the candidate who could stop Trump. But so does Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, although he hasn't won as many primaries as the Texan. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who hasn't won but came in second in New Hampshire, has been telling supporters and donors to hang with him until Ohio, a swing state the GOP needs in the general election.

Voters will see many other candidates on the ballot but all of those but the aforementioned four have dropped out.

On the Democrat side, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has mounted a stiffer-than-expected challenge to Hillary Clinton. Clinton has been doing well in the South as is expected to win easily in Mississippi. But they aren't the only Democrats on the ballot. Roque "Rocky" De La Fuenta is a San Diego business who's probably unfamiliar to Mississippi voters as is Willie Wilson, a Chicagoan who fought his way on the ballot via lawsuit. Martin O'Malley is on the ballot, too, but he dropped out earlier this year.

In Harrison County, voters in two precincts will be going to new polling places. North Bay voters will be voting in the multipurpose center at 10395 Automall Parkway, just north of the D'Iberville Civic Center where they normally vote. This is a temporary move for this election.

The New Popp's Ferry polling place has moved to the First Baptist Church, 1560 Popp's Ferry Road.

This story was originally published March 7, 2016 at 9:36 PM with the headline "Today, it's Mississippi's turn to vote ."