Why isn’t there early voting on the Mississippi Coast? What we know for this election
If you’ve noticed the rising number of people casting votes weeks in advance of Election Day and wondered how you could do the same, chances are you can’t.
Mississippi is one of only three states that does not allow early no-excuse voting. However, the state does accept in-person and mail-in absentee voting for people who meet certain criteria.
Absentee voting vs. early voting
Absentee voting started Monday, Sept. 23, and will continue through Saturday, Nov. 2.
You may vote absentee for any of the following reasons:
- You are 65 years of age or older
- You have a disability that prevents you from voting in person
- You are a student or teacher at a school outside your county of residence
- You have a loved one hospitalized outside of your county and you will be with that person on Election Day
- You are required to work during poll hours
- You are a disabled war veteran in a hospital
- You or your spouse are member of the Merchant Marine or Red Cross
The differences between Mississippi’s absentee voting and early voting currently underway in other states is the eligibility requirement and the voting process.
Early voting often replaces absentee voting, allowing anyone to vote early, whether it is in person or by mail.
When you vote absentee in Mississippi, you turn in a ballot sealed in an envelope and it is opened/counted later. Early voters use the same voting machines available on Election Day.
Early voting tends to run longer than absentee voting and offer flexibility in the locations, days and times you cast your ballot. Georgia’s early voting starts four weeks before election day and offers weekend opportunities to vote.
Hawaii transitioned to all mail-in voting during the 2020 pandemic, but the state currently allows voters to vote in person up to 10 business days before Election Day.
Are changes in the works?
For the second year in a row, Mississippi legislators introduced a bill to bring early voting to the Magnolia State. Each of the bills died in committee, never even making it to the floor for a vote.
Opponents of early voting worry the process would impact voter turnout, extend the election season and would require significant changes to election infrastructure and procedures, which would mean more resources and funding.
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
